IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER, NY.  HS80 

(716)  872-4503 


& 
^ 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibiiographiques 


The 
to  t» 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


L'Institut  a  microfilma  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  et^  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-^tre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique.  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  m^thode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiqu^s  ci-dessous. 


The 

P088 
of  tt 
filmi 


D 

D 
D 

n 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 

Covers  damaged/ 
Couverture  endommag^e 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurie  et/ou  pelliculAe 

Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


I      I    Coloured  maps/ 


D 


D 
D 


D 


Cartes  giographiques  en  couleur 


Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


r~n    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Relit  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  causa  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

Lareliure  serree  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distorsion  ie  long  de  ia  marge  intdrieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajoutAes 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte. 
mais,  lorsque  ceia  ttait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  iti  filmies. 


D 

D 

D 

□ 

n 


n 


Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagtes 

Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaurdes  et/ou  pellicultes 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages  ddcolorees,  tachettes  ou  piquees 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  dttachees 

Showthrough/ 
Transparence 

Quality  of  print  varies/ 
Quality  intgale  de  {'impression 

Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  supplementaire 


Orig 

begi 

the 

sion, 

othe 

first 

sion, 

or  11 


The 
shall 
TINl 
whic 

Map 
diffe 
entir 
begir 
right 
requi 
meth 


r~n    Only  edition  available/ 


Seule  Edition  disponible 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc..  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totaiement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata.  une  pelure. 
etc..  cnt  iti  film^es  A  nouveau  de  facon  a 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


0 


Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  supplementaires; 


Various  pagings. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmt  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqut  ci-dessous. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

30X 

y 

1 

12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


ire 
details 

les  du 
modifier 
er  une 
filmage 


es 


The  copy  filmed  here  hes  been  reproduced  thenks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Harriet  Irving  Library 
University  of  New  Brunswick 

The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  ^^>  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


L'exempiaire  film*  fut  reproduit  grAce  A  la 
gAn^rositA  de: 

Harriet  Irving  Library 
University  of  New  Brunswick 

Les  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettetd  de  l'exempiaire  fiimd,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimde  sont  film6s  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  film6s  en  commenpant  par  la 
premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaftra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  — »>  signifie  "A  SUIVRE  ",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cart'SS.  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
filmds  &  des  taux  de  reduction  diffdrents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  cliche,  il  est  film6  d  partir 
de  I'angle  sup6rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  ndcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mdthode. 


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SCENES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ADVENTURES 


■•^•.^.^;^.di; 


IN    THE    FAR    WEST;" 


DIGESTED  FROM  THE  JOURNAL  OP  CAPTAIN  B.  L.  E.  BONNEVILLE, 


or  THE  ARMY  OP  THE  UNITED  STATES,  AND  ILLUSTRATED 
PROM  VARIOUS  OTHER  SOURCES, 


BY    WASHINGTON    IRVING: 


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IN    TWO    VOLUMES, 
VOL.    I. 


PHILADELPHIA. 

CAREY,    LEA,    &    BLANCHARD. 

1837. 


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the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States,  for  « 

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INTRODUCTORY    NOTICE. 


j^'» 


While  engaged  in  writing  an  account  of  the  grand 
enterprise  of  Astoria,  it  was  my  practice  to  seek  all 
kinds  of  oral  information  connected  with  the  subject. 
Nowhere  did  I  pick  up  more  interesting  particulars 
than  at  the  table  of  Mr.  John  Jacob  Astor ;  who,  being 
the  patriarch  of  the  Fur  Trade  in  the  United  States, 
was  accustomed  to  have  at  his  board  various  persons 
of  adventurous  turn,  some  of  whom  had  been  engaged' 
in  his  own  great  undertaking;  others,  on  their  own 
account,  had  made  expeditions  to  the  Rocky  mountains 
and  the  waters  of  the  Columbia. 

Among  these  personages,  one  who  peculiarly  took 
my  fancy,  was  Captain  Bonneville,  of  the  United 
States'  army ;  who,  in  a  rambling  kind  of  enterprise, 
had  strangely  engrafted  the  trapper  and  hunter  upon 
the  soldier.  As  his  expeditions  and  adventures  will 
form  the  leading  theme  of  the  following  pages,  a  few 
biographical  particulars  concerning  him  may  not  be 
unacceptable. 

Captain  Bonneville  is  of  French  parentage.     His 


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4  1^      INTRODUCTORY   NOTICE. 

father  was  a  worthy  old  emigrant,  who  came  to  this 
country  many  years  since,  and  took  up  his  abode  in 
New  York.  He  is  represented  as  a  man  not  much 
calculated  for  the  sordid  struggle  of  a  money-making 
world,  but  possessed  of  a  happy  temperament,  a  fes- 
tivity of  imagination,  and  a  simplicity  of  heart,  that 
made  him  proof  against  its  rubs  and  trials.  He  was 
an  excellent  scholar :  well  acquainted  with  Latin  and 
Greek,  and  fond  of  the  modern  classics.  His  book 
was  his  elysium  ;  once  immersed  in  the  pages  of  Vol- 
taire, Corneille,  or  Racine,  or  of  his  favorite  English 
author,  Shakspeare,  he  forgot  the  world  and  all  its 
concerns.  Often  would  he  be  seen  in  summer  weather, 
seated  under  one  of  the  trees  on  the  Battery,  or  the 
portico  of  St.  Paul's  church  in  Broadway,  his  bald 
head  uncovered,  his  hat  lyfng  by  his  side,  his  eyes 
riveted  to  the  page  of  his  book,  and  his  whole  soul  so 
engaged,  as  to  lose  all  consciousness  of  the  passing 
throng  or  the  passing  hour. 

Captain  Bonneville,  it  will  be  found,  inherited  some- 
thing of  his  father's  honhommie,  and  his  excitable  imagi- 
nation ;  though  the  latter  was  somewhat  disciplined  in 
early  years,  by  mathematical  studies.  He  was  edu- 
cated at  our  national  Military  Academy  at  West  Point, 
where  he  acquitted  himself  very  creditably ;  from 
t^jence,  he  entered  the  army,  in  which  he  has  ever 
since  continued.  / 

The  nature  of  our  military  service  took  him  to  the 
frontier,  where,  for  a  number  of  years,  he  was  stationed 
at  various  posts  in  the  far  west.  Here  he  was  brought 
into  frequent  intercourse  with  Indian  traders,  mountaia 
trappers,  and  other  pioneers  of  the  wilderness  ;  and 
became  so  excited  by  their  tales  of  wild  scenes  and 


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INTRODUCTORY    NOTICE. 


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wild  adventures,  and  their  accounts  of  vast  and  mag-      \ 
niiicent  regions  as  yet  unexplored,  that  an  expedition 
to  the  Rocky  mountains  became  the  ardent  desire  of     -f-'^- 
his  heart,  and  an  enterprise  to  explore  untrodden  tracts, 
the  leading  object  of  his  ambition. 

By  degrees  he  shaped  this  vague  day-dream  into  a 
practical  reality.  Having  made  himself  acquainted 
with  all  the  requisites  for  a  trading  enterprise  beyond  t 
the  mountains,  he  determined  to  undertake  it.  A  leave 
of  absence,  and  a  sanction  of  his  expedition,  was  ob- 
tained from  the  major  general  in  chief,  on  his  offering 
to  combine  public  utility  with  his  private  projects,  and 
to  collect  statistical  information  for  the  War  Depart- 
ment, conc(  rning  the  wild  countries  and  wild  tribes  he 
might  visit  in  the  course  of  his  journeyings.  ,» 

Nothing  now  was  wanting  to  the  darling  project  of 
the  captain,  but  the  ways  and  meansf*  The  expedition  . 
would  require  an  outfit  of  many  thousand  dollars ;  a 
staggering  obstacle  to  a  soldier,  whose  capital  is  sel-" 
dom  any  thing  more  than  his  sword.  Full  of  that 
buoyant  hope,  however,  which  belongs  to  the  sanguine 
temperament,  he  repaired  to  Niew  York,  the  great 
focus  of  American  enterprise,  where  there  are  always 
funds  ready  for  any  scheme,  however  chimerical  or  \  ^vn 
romantic.  Here  he  had  the  good  fortune  to  meet  with 
a  gentleman  of  high  respectability  and  influence,  who 
had  been  his  associate  in  boyhood,  and  who  cherished 
a  schoolfellow  friendship  for  him.  He  took  a  gene- 
rous interest  in  the  scheme  of  the  captain  ;  introduced 
him  to  commercial  men  of  his  acquaintance,  and  in  a 
little  while  an  association  was  formed,  and  the  neces- 
sary funds  were  raised  to  carry  the  proposed  measure 
into  effect.     One  of  the  most  efficient  persons  in  this 

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INTRODUCTORY   NOTICE. 


nssociation  was  Mr.  Alfred  Seton,  who,  whon  quite 
a  youth,  had  accompanied  one  of  the  expeditions  sent 
out  by  Mr.  Astor  to  his  commercial  establishments 
on  the  Columbia,  and  had  distinguished  himself  by 
his  activity  and  courage  at  one  of  the  interior  posts. 
Mr.  Seton  was  one  of  the  American  youths  who  were 
at  Astoria  at  the  time  of  its  surrender  to  the  British, 
and  who  manifested  such  grief  and  indi|«nation  at  see- 
ing the  flag  of  their  country  hauled  down.  The  hope 
of  seeing  that  flag  once  more  planted  on  the  shores  of 
the  Columbia,  may  have  entered  into  his  motives  for 
engaging  in  the  present  enterprise. 

Thus  backed  and  provided.  Captain  Bonneville  un- 
dertook his  expedition  into  the  far  west,  and  was  soon 
beyond  the  Rocky  mountains.  Year  after  year  elapsed 
without  his  return.  The  term  of  his  leave  of  absence 
expired,  yet  no  report  was  made  of  him  at  head  quar- 
ters at  Washington.  He  was  considered  virtually  dead 
or  lost,  and  his  name  was  stricken  from  the  army  list. 

It  was  in  the  autumn  of  1 835,  at  the  country  seat  of 
Mr.  John  Jacob  Astor,  at  Hellgate,  that  I  first  met  with 
Captain  Bonneville.  He  was  then  just  returned  from 
a  residence  of  iipwards  of  three  years  among  the 
mountains,  and  was  on  his  way  to  report  himself  at 
head  quarters,  in  the  hopes  of  being  reinstated  in  the 
service.  From  all  that  I  could  learn,  his  wanderings 
in  the  wilderness,  though  they  had  gratified  his  curi- 
osity and  his  love  of  adventure,  had  not  much  benefited 
his  fortunes.  Like  Corporal  Trim  in  his  campaigns, 
he  had  "  satisfied  the  sentiment,"  and  that  was  all.  In 
fact,  he  was  too  much  of  the  frank,  freehearted  soldier, 
and  had  inherited  too  jnuch  of  his  father's  temperament, 
to  make  a  scheming   trapper,  or  a  thrifty  bargainer. 


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INTRODUCTORY    NOTICf. 


■•.'■>*, 


There  was  something  in  the  whole  appearance  of  the 
captain  that  prepossessed  me  in  his  favor.  He  was  of 
the  middle  size,  well  made  and  well  set ;  and  a  mili- 
tary frock  of  foreign  cut,  that  had  seen  service,  gave 
him  a  look  of  compactness.  His  countenance  was 
frank,  open,  and  engaging ;  well  browned  by  the  sun, 
and  had  something  of  a  French  expression.  He  had  a 
pleasant  black  eye,  a  high  forehead,  and,  while  he 
kept  his  hat  on,  the  look  of  a  man  in  the  jocund  prime 
of  his  days  ;  but  the  moment  his  head  was  uncovered, 
a  bald  crown  gained  him  credit  for  a  few  more  years 
than  he  was  really  entitled  to. 

Being  extremely  curious,  at  the  time,  about  every 
thing  connected  with  the  far  west,  I  addressed  numer- 
ous questions  to  him.  They  drew  from  him  a  num- 
ber of  extremely  striking  details,  which  were  given 
with  mingled  modesty  and  frankness  ;•  and  in  a  gentle- 
ness of  manner,  and  a  soft  tone  of  voice,  that  contrasted 
singularly  with  the  wild  and  often  startling  nature  of 
his  themes.  It  was  difficult  to  conceive  the  mild, 
quiet-looking  personage  before  you,  the  actual  hero  of 
the  stirring  scenes  related.  -      " 

In  the  course  of  three  or  four  months,  happening  to 
be  at  the  city  of  Washington,  I  again  came  upon  the 
captain,  who  was  attending  the  slow  adjustment  of  his 
affairs  with  the  War  Department.  I  found  him  quar- 
tered with  a  worthy  brother  in  arms,  a  major  in  the 
army.  Here  he  was  writing  at  a  table,  covered  with 
maps  and  papers,  in  the  centre  of  a  large  barrack  room, 
fancifully  decorated  with  Indian  arms,  and  trophies, 
and  war  dresses,  and  the  skins  of  various  wild  animals, 
and  hung  round  with  pictures  of  Indian  games  and 
ceremonies,  and  scenes  of  war  and  hunting.     In  a 


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^  ^:: 


^-J 


)s^r' 


...>f>^ 


8 


INTRODUCTORY   NOTICE. 


^ 


word,  the  captain  was  beguiling  the  tediousness  of  at- 
tendance at  court,  by  an  attempt  at  authorship ;  and 
was  rewriting  and  extending  his  travelling  notes,  and 
making  maps  of  the  regions  he  had  explored.  As  he 
sat  at  the  table,  in  this  curious  apartment,  with  his 
^  high  bald  head  of  somewhat  foreign  cast,  he  reminded 
me  of  some  of  those  antique  pictures  of  authors  that  I 
have  seen  in  old  Spanish  volumes. 

The  result  of  his  labors  was  a  mass  of  manuscript, 
which  he  subsequently  put  at  my  disposal,  to  fit  it  for 
publication  and  bring  it  before  the  world.  I  found  it 
full  of  interesting  details  of  life  among  the  mountains, 
and  of  the  singular  castes  and  races,  both  white  men 
and  red  men,  among  whom  he  had  sojourned.  It  bore, 
too,  throughout,  the  impress  of  his  character,  his  bon- 
hommie,  his  kindliness  of  spirit,  and  his  susceptibility 
to  the  grand  and  beautiful. 

That  manuscript  has  formed  the  staple  of  the  follow- 
ing work.  I  have  occasionally  interwoven  facts  and 
details,  gathered  from  various  sources,  especially  from 
the  conversations  and  journals  of  some  of  the  captain's 
contemporaries,  who  were  actors  in  the  scenes  he  de- 
scribes. I  have  also  given  it  a  tone  and  coloring 
drawn  from  my  own  observation,  during  an  excursion 
into  the  Indian  country  beyond  the  bounds  of  civiliza- 
tion ;  as  I  before  observed,  however,  the  work  is  sub- 
stantially the  narrative  of  the  worthy  captain,  and  many 
of  its  most  graphic  passages  are  but  little  varied  from 
his  own  language. 

I  shall  conclude  this  notice  by  a  dedication  which 
he  had  made  of  his  manuscript  to  his  hospitable  brother 
in  arms,  in  whose  quarters  I  found  him  occupied  in  his 
literary  labors  ;  it  is  a  dedication  which,  I  believe,  pos- 


», 


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r 


'^  .■*<i 


^^ 


^• 


INTRODUCTORY   NOTICE. 


9 


f 


sesses  the  qualities,  not  always  found  in  complimentary       'U, 
documents  of  the  kind,  of  being  sincere,  and  being  ' 

merited.  '     • 


■*:-' 


t  ■ 


TO 

JAMES    HARVEY    HOOK, 

MAJOR,   V.    S.    A.. 

WHOSE    JEALOUSY    OF    ITS    HONOR, 

WHOSE    ANXIETY    FOR    ITS    INTERESTS, 

AND 

WHOSE  SENSIBILITY  FOR  ITS  WANTS, 

HAVE    ENDEARED    HIH    TO   THE    SERVICE    AS 


■»^: 


,»-',■'■■     *lr 


5fe 


THE    SOLDIER    S    FRIEND; 


lich 

ther 

his 

)0S- 


t»        »■ 


.  i 


■f* 


V  ■  \ 


m     it 


i 


AND    WHOSE    GENERAL    AMENITY,    CONSTANT    CHEERFULNESS, 

DISINTERESTED    HOSPITALITY,    AND    UNWEARIED 

BENEVOLENCE,    ENTITLE    HIH    TO   THE 

STILL    LOFTIER    TITLE    OF 

THE    FRIEND    OF    MAN, 

,  THIS    WORK    IS    INSCRIBED, 

ETC. 


^4 


-*■  -'• 


■# 


:^ 


w 


(•■.■ 


^■¥- 


^^^^'- ,     ■'• 


\*.  '♦ 


#''*)*. 


™i?i 


CONTENTS  OF  THE  FIRST  VOLUME. 


■  "■■^^^ 


fv 


CHAPTER  I. 


PAOI 


State  of  the  fur  trade  of  the  Rocky  mountains — American  en- 
terprises— General  Ashley  and  his  associates — Sublette,  a 
famous  leader — Yearly  rendezvous  among  the  mountains — 
Stratagems  and  dangers  of  the  trade — Bands  of  trappers — 
Indian  banditti — Crows  and  Blackfeet — Mountaineers — 
Traders  of  the  far  west — Character  and  habits  of  the  trapper. 

CHAPTER  II. 


-c 


17 


Departure  from  Fort  Osage — Modes  of  transportation — Pack- 
horses — ^Waggons — Walker  and  Cerr^ — their  characters — 
Buoyant  feelings  on  launching  upon  the  prairies — Wild  equip- 
ments of  the  trappers — their  gambols  and  antics — Difference 
of  character  between  the  American  and  French  trappers — 
Agency  of  the  Kansas — General  Clarke — White  Plume,  the 
Kansas  chief — Night  scene  in  a  trader's  camp — Colloquy 
between  White  Plume  and  the  captain — Bee  hunters — their 
expeditions — their  feuds  with  the  Indians — Bargaining  talent 
of  White  Plume 29 

CHAPTER  III. 

Wide  prairies— Vegetable  productions — Tabular  hills — Slabs 
of  sandstone — Nebraska  or  Platte  river — Scanty  fare- 
Buffalo  sculls — Waggons  turned  into  boats — Herds  of  Buf- 
falo— Cliffs  resembling  castles— The  chimney — Scott's  bluffs 
— Story  connected  with  them — The  bighorn  or  ahsahta — its 
nature  and  habits — Difference  between  that  and  the  "  woolly 
sheep,"  or  goat  of  the  mountains 40 


*?j. 


^    -■' 


% 


'iiti 


L 


i^' 


V 


^^ 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IV. 
An  alarm—Crow  Indians— ti,.- 
Proach-their  vengeful  errand    fh?''"'™"''~-'"°'^«  of  ap- 

Ciows-Laramie'sfork-P,Wn^!~^  ^'"S  conduct  of  the 
great  elevation  of  the  countrv  R?!  "/ '^ '''"  ^^'^™«ka- 
'ts  effect  on  the  woodworlTtf^T       ^  ^  °^ '''"  atmosphere- 

CHAPTER  V. 
Magnificent  scenery— Win,}     • 
waters-A  stray  Lse-An  T'^'  "'^""tains-Treasurjr  of 
The  Great  Green  rivet^allev    t"  ^""'^'""^  ''^^^--- 
Pers-Pontenelle,  his  inform^;:^-!s?r~'^  '^"'^  «^  ^^P" 
campment  on  the  Seeds-ke-de^^        ""='  of  thirst-En- 
Fortification  of  the  camp-T^l ^T  "'  "^"'  ^^^^«— 
mountains-their  charact^er  anS  habUs  ''^^-'«"^'*ti  «^  ">« 
t  •        •        •        .        . 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Sublette  and  his  band-Robert  r.      u  „ 
and  a  band  of  "  down-eas^T  ..^Va'  t  "~^'P'^'"  ^J^^"' 
patnck-his  adventure  with    he  S"??  ^"^fP^'^^Fitz- 
of  mountaineers-The  ba  tie  'f'  ^''^^'^'^^t-A  rendezvous 
ambuscade-Sublette's  return      "^'^"^^  ^°^^A»  I»*a„ 

■•••.. 
CHAPTER  VII 

Retreat  of  the  Blackfeet-PontenpJI..  '  • 
tain  Bonneville  and  the  BlTlr  !  T^  '"  ^^"ger-Cap. 
character,  habits,  dresXutmenrV'^'''  trappers-theh^ 
of  the  mountainsltheir  vTsUrL'  ^"'^^«~«-™«  Allows 
and  good  cheer-A  caroTsHA  ^"""^^-^^  ^^"owship 
reconciliation.  *="«»«e-A  swagger,  a  brawl,  and  a 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
•t^ians  for  the  winfai-    q  i 
wet  of  ,he  „„„„t;;!!^S™  "ve-AbMd.nce  of  «,,„„„ 

p.-„f..,..frr.^^--f™p;;- 


FAOK 


49 


61 


72 


89 


w 


#rs, 


PAOI 

•  ap. 
ybe- 

•  the 
ka— 
re — 
their 
es — 
er — 

>k.  .    49 


ff  of 

IS — 

rap- 
En- 

rs — 
the 


61 


eth 
itz- 

)US 

an 


72 


89 


CONTENTS. 

streams — ^Buckeye,  the  Delaware  hunter,  and  the  grizzly 
bear — Bones  of  murdered  travellers — Visit  to  Pierre's  Hole 
— Traces  of  the  battle — Nez  Ferc6  Indians — Arrival  at  Sal- 
mon river.  •        .  ;  .... 


XIU 


PAOB 


96 


'  ## 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Horses  turned  loose — Preparations  for  winter  quarters — Hun- 
gry times — Nez  Percys,  their  honesty,  piety,  pacific  habits, 
religious  ceremonies — Captain  Bonneville's  conversations 
with  them — Their  love  of  gambling.  .        .        .        .106 

CHAPTER  X. 

Blackfeet  in  the  Horse  prairie — Search  after  the  hunters — Diffi- 
culties and  dangers — A  card  party  in  the  wilderness — The 
card  party  interrupted — "  Old  Sledge"  a  losing  game — 
Visiters  to  the  camp — Iroquois  hunters — ^Hanging-cared 
Indians 112 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Rival  trapping  parties — Manoeuvring — A  desperate  game — 
Vanderburgh  and  the  Blackfeet — Deserted  camp  fire — A 
dark  defile — An  Indian  ambush — A  fierce  mel^e — fatal 
consequences — Fitzpatrick  and  Bridger — Trappers'  pre- 
cautions— Meeting  with  the  Blackfeet — More  fighting — An- 
ecdote of  a  young  Mexican  and  an  Indian  girl.  .        .118 

CHAPTER  XII. 

A  winter  camp  in  the  wilderness — Medley  of  trappers,  hunt- 
ers, and  Indians — Scarcity  of  game — New  arrangements  in 
the  camp — Detachments  sent  to  a  distance — Carelessness 
of  the  Indians  when  encamped — Sickness  among  the  In- 
dians— Excellent  character  of  the  Nez  Percys — The  cap- 
tain's effort  as  a  pacificator — A  Nez  Percy's  argument  in 
favor  of  war — Robberies  by  the  Blackfeet — Long  suffering  of 
the  Nez  Percys — A  hunter's  elysium  among  the  mountains 
— More  robberies — The  captain  preaches  up  a  crusade — 
The  effect  upon  his  hearers 127 


♦ 


* 

•'4.' 


Hi 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Story  of  Kosato,  the  renegade  Blackfoot. 
VOL.   I.  2 


140 


■», 


« 


■  'ti^ih 


■^x-. 


4t-  -• 


XIV 


W    ^■. 


•  \ 


'■V 


1^**^*' 


s^ 


CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER  XIV. 


PASS 


The  party  enters  the  mountain  gorge — A  wild  fastness  among 
hills — Mountain  mutton — Peace  and  plenty — The  amor- 
ous trapper — A  piebald  wedding — A  free  trapper's  wife — 
her  gala  equipments — Christmas  in  the  wilderness.  .    145 

CHAPTER  XV. 

A  hunt  after  hunters — Hungry  times — A  voracious  repast — 
Wintry  weather — Godin's  river — Splendid  winter  scene  on 
the  great  lava  plain  of  Snake  river — Severe  travelling  and 
tramping  in  the  snow — Manceuvres  of  a  solitary  Indian 
horseman — Encampment  on  Snake  river' — Banneck  Indians 
— The  Horse  chief— his  charmed  life 152 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Misadventures  of  Matthieu  and  his  party — Return  to  the 
caches  at  Salmon  river — Battle  between  Nez  Percys  and 
Blackfeet — Heroism  of  a  Nez  Perc6  woman — enrolled 
among  the  braves 163 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Opening  of  the  caches — Detachments  of  Cerr^  and  Hodg- 
kiss — Salmon  river  mountains — Superstition  of  an  Indian 
trapper — Godin's  river — Preparations  for  trapping — An 
alarm — An  interruption — A  rival  band — Phenomena  of 
Snake  river  plain — Vast  clefts  and  chasms — Ingulfed 
streams — Sublime  scenery — A  grand  buftalo  hunt.    .        .    172 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Meeting  with  Hodgkiss — Misfortunes  of  the  Nez  Percys — 
Schemes  of  Kosato,  the  renegade — his  foray  into  the  Horse 
prairie — Invasion  of  Blackfeet — Blue  John,  and  his  forlorn 
hope — their  generous  enterprise — their  fate — Consternation 
and  despair  of  the  village — Solemn  obsequies — Attempt  at 
Indian  trade — Hudson's  Bay  Company's  monopoly — Ar- 
rangements for  autumn — Breaking  up  of  an  encampment.    181 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Precautions  in  dangerous  defiles — Trappers'  mode  of  defence 
on  a  prairie — A  mysterious  visiter — Arrival  in  Green  river 


M'     m 


# 


?%i«ft- 


•:..    ^w: " 


CONTENTS. 


PA0B 


long 
mor- 

ife — 


isl— 
leon 
and 
idian 
lians 


>  the 
I  and 
oiled 


odg- 

dian 

-An 

of 

fed 


145 


152 


,"S 


163 


172 


orse 
orn 
tion 
at 
Ar- 
ent.    181 


ice 
ver 


XV 

PAOK 


valley — Adventures  of  the  detachments — The  forlorn  parti- 
san— His  tale  of  disasters 193 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Gathering  in  Green  river  valley— Visitings  and  feastings  of 
leaders — Rough  wassailing  among  the  trappers — Wild 
blades  of  the  mountains — Indian  belles — Potency  of  bright 
beads  and  red  blankets — Arrival  of  supplies — Reveliy  and 
extravagance — Mad  wolves — The  lost  Indian.  .        .    201 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Schemes  of  Captain  Bonneville — The  Great  Salt  lake — Ex- 
pedition to  explore  it — Preparations  for  a  journey  to  the  Bighorn.    206 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

The  Crow  country — A  Crow  paradise — Habits  of  the  Crows 
— Anecdotes  of  Rose,  the  renegade  white  man — his  fights 
with  the  Blackfcet — his  elevation — his  death — Arapooish, 
the  Crow  chief— his  eagle — Adventure  of  Robert  Campbell 
— Honor  among  Crows 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


212 


^* 


Departure  from  Green  river  valley — Popo  Agie — its  course 
— the  rivers  into  which  it  runs — Scenery  of  the  bluffs — The 
great  Tar  spring — Volcanic  tracts  in  the  Crow  country — 
Burning  mountain  of  Powder  river — Sulphur  springs — Hid- 
den fires — Colter's  Hell — Wind  river — Campbell's  party — 
Fitzpatrick  and  his  trappers — Captain  Stewart,  an  amateur 
traveller — Captain  Wyeth — anecdotes  of  his  expedition  to 
the  far  west — Disaster  of  Campbell's  party — A  union  of 
bands — The  Bad  Pass — The  rapids — Departure  of  Fitzpa- 
trick— Embarcation  of  peltries — Captain  Wyeth  and  his 
bull  boat — Adventures  of  Captain  Bonneviile  in  the  Big- 
horn mountains — Adventures  in  the  plain — Traces  of  In- 
dians— Travelling  precautions — Dangers  of  making  a 
smoke — The  rendezvous. 221 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Adventures  of  the  party  of  t^n — The  Balaamite  mule — A 
dead  point — The  mysterious  elks — A  night  attack — A  re- 
treat— Travelling  under  an  alarm — A  joyful  meeting — 


•f 


# 


'm- 


^ 


"■Ssi*. 


-■»■     .  V"' 


.^ 


I 


r»,  •# 


K  #^ 


XTl 


CONTENTS. 


FASI 


Adventures  of  the  other  party — A  decoy  elk — ^retreat  to 
'^   < '    an  island — A  savage  dance  of  triumph — Arrival  at  Wind 
.,       nv6f*         ••••••§•••    SboSs 


^# 


CHAPTER  XXV.  ^' 

Captain  Bonneville  sets  out  for  Qreen  river  valley — Journey 
up  the  Popo  Agie — Buffaloes — The  staring  white  bears — 
The  smoke — The  warm  springs — Attempt  to  traverse  the  ■^• 
Wind  river  mountains — The  Great  Slope — Mountain  dells 
and  chasms — Crystal  lakes — Ascent  of  a  snowy  peak — 
Sublime  prospect — A  panorama — '*Les  dignes  de  pitie,"or 
wild  men  of  the  mountains.       .        .        .        .        .        .    239 


% 


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V  ■ 


>-  '1. 


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i* 


A  'I  '.' 


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^ 


.X: 


^7        - 


^■^ 


M    ^\ 


-.  -■*■     .V, 


■  ■•^3'^ 


v,...^,.»„  r 


-■TV  ; 


THE    ROCKY    MOUNTAINS. 


■M    *>' 


CHAPTER 


State  of  the  fur  trade  of  the  Rocky  nlH^^^^^Herican  enter* 
prises — General  Ashley  and  his  assocflp^Hjpnkte,  a  famous 
leader — Yearly  rendezvous  among  the  mounlaiffti — Stratagems 
and  dangers  of  the  trade — Bands  of  trappers — Indian  banditti — 
Crows  and  Blackfeet — Mountaineers — Traders  of  the  far  west- 
Character  and  habits  of  the  trapper. 


In  a  recent  work  we  have  given  an  account  of  the 
grand  enterprise  of  Mr.  John  Jacob  Astor,  to  es- 
tablish an  American  emporium  for  the  fur  trade  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  or  Oregon  river ;  of 
the  failure  of  that  enterprise  through  the  capture 
of  Astoria  by  the  British,  in  1814 ;  and  of  the  way 
in  which  the  control  of  the  trade  of  the  Columbia 
and  its  dependancies  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  North- 
west Company.  We  have  stated,  likewise,  the 
unfortunate  supineness  of  the  American  govern- 
ment, in  neglecting  the  application  of  Mr.  Astor  for 
the  protection  of  the  American  Iflag,  and  a  small 
military  force,  to  enable  him  to  reinstate  himself  in 
the  possession  of  Astoria  at  the  return  of  peace; 


'■!««•*■,;. 


'-^ 


■% 


t-- 


■#■ 


■i.--:' 


I:. 


•> 


•  ' 


♦..-. " 


18 


r* 


STATE    OF    THE    FUR   TRADE. 


when  the  post  was  formally  given  up  by  the  British 
government,  though  still  occupied  by  the  North- 
we|^t  Company.  By  that  supineness  the  sovereignty 
•in  th^|cOuntry  has  been  virtually  lost  to  the  United 
States ;  and  it  will  cost  both  governments  much 
trouble  and  difficulty  to  settle  matters  on  that  just 
and  rightful  footing,  on  which  they  would  readily 
have  been  placed,  had  the  proposition  of  Mr.  Astor 
been  attended  to.  We  shall  now  state  a  few  par- 
ticulars of  s^^ynfluent  events,  so  as  to  lead  the  reader 
up  to  ^^GjdjiHHIl^  which  we  are  about  to  treat, 
and  to  Pa^^^|&f'<^^  ^^^^  circumstances  of  our 

In  conseq^^l^Hiof  the  apathy  and  neglect  of  the 
American  government,  Mr.  Astor  abandoned  all 
thoughts  of  regaining  Astoria,  and  made  no  further 
attempt  to  extend  his  enterprises  beyond  the  Rocky 
mountains ;  and  the  Northwest  Company  considered 
themselves  the  lords  of  the  country.  They  did  not 
long  enjoy  unmolested  the  sway  which  they  had 
somewhat  surreptitiously  attained.  A  fierce  com- 
petition ensued  between  them  and  their  old  rivals,  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  ;  which  was  carried  on  at 
great  cost  and  sacrifice,  and  occasionally  with  the 
loss  of  life.  It  ended  in  the  ruin  of  most  of  the 
partners  of  the  Northwest  Company ;  and  the 
merging  of  the  relics  of  that  establishment,  in  1821, 
in  the  rival  association.  From  that  time,  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company  enjoyed  a  monopoly  of  the 
Indian  trade  from  the  coast  of  the  Pacific  to  the 
Rocky  mountains,  and  for  a  considerable  extent 
north  and  south.     They  removed  their  emporium 


-m 


r: 


%^^ 


ir-'-":;^  -^ 


;* 


.i 


f- 


•^ 


i 


did  not 
'  had 
com- 
s,  the 
on  at 
h  the 

of  the 
the 
1821, 
Hud- 
f  the 
o  the 
xtent 
►rium 


GENERAL   ASHLEY. 


Id 


from  Astoria  to  Fort  Vancouver,  a  strong  post  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  Columbia  river,  about  sixty 
miles  from  its  mouth  ;  from  whence  they  furnished 
their  interior  posts,  and  sent  forth  their  brigades  of 
trappers.  /iv 

The  Rocky  mountains  formed  a  vast  barrier  be- 
tween them  and  the  United  States,  and  their  stern 
and  awful  defiles,  their  rugged  valleys,  and  the  great 
western  plains  watered  by  their  rivers,  remained 
almost  a  terra  incognita  to  the  American  trapper. 
The  difficulties  experienced  in  1808,  by  Mr.  Henry 
of  the  Missouri  Company,  the  first  American  who 
trapped  upon  the  head  waters  of  the  Columbia ;  and 
the  frightful  hardships  sustained  by  Wilson  P.  Hunt, 
Ramsay  Crooks,  Robert  Stuart,  and  other  intrepid 
Astorians,  in  their  ill-fated  expeditions  across  the 
mountains,  appeared  for  a  time  to  check  all  fur- 
ther enterprise  in  that  direction.  The  American 
traders  contented  themselves  with  following  up  the 
head  branches  of  the  Missouri,  the  Yellowstone, 
and  other  rivers  and  streams  on  the  Atlantic  side 
of  the  mountains,  but  forbore  to  attempt  those  great 
snow-crowned  sierras. 

One  of  the  first  to  revive  these  tramontane  expe- 
ditions was  Genera]  Ashley,  of  Missouri,  a  man 
whose  courage  and  achievements  in  the  prosecution 
of  his  enterprises,  have  rendered  him  famous  in  the 
far  west.  In  conjunction  with  Mr.  Henry,  already 
mentioned,  he  established  a  post  on  the  banks  of 
the  Yellowstone  river,  in  1822,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  pushed  a  resolute  band  of  trappers 
across  the  mountains  to  the  banks  of  the  Green 


^ 


'»j^ 


K 


•  A- 


■.".'•  7* 


( 


l^f 


^  .: 


80 


PIONEERS    OF    THE    FDR    TRADE. 


river  or  Colorado  of  the  west,  often  known  by  the 
Indian  name  of  the  Seeds-ke-dee  Agie.*  This 
attempt  was  followed  up  and  sustained  by  others, 
until  in  1825  a  footing  was  secured,  and  a  com- 
plete system  of  trapping  organized  beyond  the 
mountains. 

It  is  difficult  to  do  justice  to  the  courage,  fortitude, 
and  perseverance  of  the  pioneers  of  the  fur  trade, 
who  conducted  these  early  expeditions,  and  first 
broke  their  way  through  a  wilderness  where  every 
thing  was  calculated  to  deter  and  dismay  them. 
They  had  to  traverse  the  most  dreary  and  desolate 
mountains,  and  barren  and  trackless  wastes,  unin- 
habited by  man,  or  occasionally  infested  by  preda- 
tory and  cruel  savages.  They  knew  nothing  of  the 
country  beyond  the  verge  of  their  horizon,  and  had 
to  gather  information  as  they  wandered.  They  be- 
held volcanic  plains  stretching  around  them,  and 
ranges  of  mountains  piled  up  to  the  clouds,  and 
glistening  with  eternal  frost :  but  knew  nothing  of 
their  defiles,  or  how  they  were  to  be  penetrated  or 
traversed.  They  launched  themselves  in  frail  ca- 
noes on  rivers,  without  knowing  whither  their  swift 
currents  would  carry  them,  or  what  rocks,  and 
shoals,  and  rapids,  they  might  encounter  in  their 
course.  They  had  to  be  continually  on  the  alert, 
too,  against  the  mountain  tribes,  who  beset  every 
defile,  laid  ambuscades  in  their  path,  or  attacked 
them  in  their  night  encampments ;  so  that,  of  the 


♦  ».  e.  The  Prairie  Hen  river.    Agie  in  the  Crow  language  sig- 
nificB  river. 


.Mk. 


M. 


# 


4 


f,' 


Si 


■^    »..J,'  t.-^di  ■■ 


f 


■  a 


aiiu 

and 

'■% 

'g  of 

;d  or 

*K    1 

1  ca- 

swift 

Jk 

and 

their 

alert, 

very 
3ked 

tlie 

k- 

I   8Ig. 


■.W-     ''.^ 


:•■/  ■  ^^ 


CELEBRATED   LEADERS. 


21 


->- 


hardy  bands  of  trappers  that  first  entered  into  these 
regions,  three-fiftiis  are  »%i'A  to  have  fallen  by  the 
hands  of  savage  foes. 

In  this  wild  and  warlike  school  a  number  of  lead- 
ers have  sprung  up,  originally  in  the  employ,  sub- 
sequently partners  of  Ashley  ;  among  these  we  may 
mention  Smith,  Filzpatrick,  Bridger,  Robert  Camp- 
bell, and  William  Sublette ;  whose  adventures  and 
exploits  partake  of  the  wildest  spirit  of  romance. 
The  association  commenced  by  General  Ashley 
underwent  various  modifications.  That  gentleman 
having  acquired  sufficient  fortune,  sold  out^is  in- 
terest and  retired  ;  and  the  leading  spirit  that  suc- 
ceeded him  was  Captain  William  Sublette  :  a  man 
worthy  of  note,  as  his  name  has  become  renowned 
in  frontier  story.  He  is  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and 
of  game  descent ;  his  maternal  grandfather.  Colonel 
Wheatley,  a  companion  of  Boon,  having  been  one  of 
the  pioneers  of  the  west,  celebrated  in  Indian  war- 
fare, and  killed  in  one  of  the  contests  of  the  "  Bloody 
ground."  We  shall  frequently  have  occasion  to 
speak  of  this  Sublette,  and  always  to  the  credit  of 
his  game  quaUties.  In  1830,  the  association  took 
the  name  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Company, 
of  which  Captain  Sublette  and  Robert  Campbell 
were  prominent  members.      ^ 

In  the  meantime,  the  success  of  this  company 
attracted  the  attention  and  excited  the  emulation*  of 
the  American  Fur  Company,  and  brought  them  once 
more  into  the  field  of  their  ancient  enterprise.  Mr. 
Astor,  the  founder  of  the  association,  had  retired 
from  busy  life,  and  the  concerns  of  the  company 


^w 


«1Y 


¥:^ 


mi 


M 


'it- 


■■fr 


^ 


'» 


*lr^. 


# 


.0,  .'^ 


*■ 


22 


ENTERPRISES    IN   THE    MOUNTAINS. 


were  ably  managed  by  Mr.  Ramsay  Crooks,  of 
Snake  river  renown,  who  still  officiates  as  its  pre- 
sident. A  competition  immediately  ensued  between 
the  two  companies,  for  the  trade  with  the  mountain 
tribes,  and  the  trapping  of  the  head  waters  of  the 
Columbia,  and  the  other  great  tributaries  of  the 
Pacific.  Beside  the  regular  operations  of  these 
formidable  rivals,  there  have  been  from  time  to 
time  desultory  enterprises,  or  rather  experiments,  of 
minor  associations,  or  of  adventurous  individuals, 
beside  roving  bands  of  independent  trappers,  who 
either  hunt  for  themselves,  or  engage  for  a  single 
season,  in  the  service  of  one  or  other  of  the  main 
companies. 

The  consequence  is,  that  the  Rocky  mountains 
and  the  ulterior  regions,  from  the  Russian  posses- 
sions in  the  north,  down  to  the  Spanish  settlements 
of  California,  have  been  traversed  and  ransacked  in 
every  direction  by  bands  of  hunters  and  Indian 
traders ;  so  that  there  is  scarcely  a  mountain  pass, 
or  defile,  that  is  not  known  and  threaded  in  their 
restless  migrations,  nor  a  nameless  stream  that  is 
not  haunted  by  the  lonely  trapper. 

The  American  fur  companies  keep  no  estab- 
lished posts  beyond  the  mountains.  Every  thing 
there  is  regulated  by  resident  partners ;  that  is  to 
say,  partners  who  reside  in  the  tramontane  country, 
but  who  move  about  from  place  to  place,  either  with 
Indian  tribes,  whose  traffic  they  wish  to  monopolize, 
or  with  main  bodies  of  their  own  men,  whom  they 
employ  in  trading  and  trapping.  In  the  mean- 
time, they  detach  bands,  or  "  brigades"  as  they  are 


^ 


m 


,;%,  \* 


_'■  I 


THE    RENDEZVOUS. 


23 


;an- 
are 


termed,  of  trappers  in  various  directions,  assigning 
to  eacli  a  portion  of  country  as  a  hunting,  or  trap- 
ping ground.  In  the  months  of  June  and  July, 
vv^hen  there  is  an  interval  between  the  hunting  sea- 
sons, a  general  rendezvous  is  held,  at  some  desig- 
nated place  in  the  mountains,  where  the  affairs  of 
the  past  year  are  settled  by  the  resident  partners, 
and  the  plans  for  the  following  year  arranged. 

To  this  rendezvous  repair  the  various  brigades 
of  trappers  from  their  widely  separated  hunting 
grounds,  bringing  in  the  products  of  their  year's 
campaign.  Hither  also  repair  the  Indian  tribes  ac- 
customed to  traffic  their  peltries  with  the  company. 
Bands  of  free  trappers  resort  hither  also,  to  sell  the 
furs  they  have  collected ;  or  to  engage  their  services 
for  the  next  hunting  season. 

To  this  rendezvous  the  company  sends  annually 
a  convoy  of  supplies  from  its  establishment  on  the 
Atlantic  frontier,  under  the  guidance  of  some  ex- 
perienced partner  or  officer.  On  the  arrival  of 
this  convoy,  the  resident  partner  at  the  rendezvous 
depends,  to  set  all  his  next  year's  machinery  in 
motion. 

Now  as  the  rival  companies  keep  a  vigilant  eye 
upon  each  other,  and  are  anxious  to  discover  each 
other's  plans  and  movements,  they  generally  contrive 
to  hold  iheir  annual  assemblages  at  no  great  dis- 
tance from  each  other.  An  eager  competition  exists 
also  between  their  respective  convoys  of  supplies, 
which  shall  first  reach  its  place  of  rendezvous.  For 
this  purpose,  they  set  off  with  the  first  appearance 
of  grass  on  the  Atlantic  frontier,  and  push  with  all 


? 


'^. 


0 


..^uSr    ^ 


M 


•   .;<V 


^ ,   *  -. 


24 


STRATEGY    OF   THE    FUR    TRADE. 


-■*.. 


;ii^ 


-4: 


diligence  for  the  mountains.  The  company  that 
can  first  open  its  tempting  supplies  of  coffee,  to- 
bacco, ammunition,  scarlet  cloth,  blankets,  bright 
shawls  and  glittering  trinkets,  has  the  greatest  chance 
to  get  all  the  peltries  and  furs  of  the  Indians  and 
free  trappers,  and  to  engage  their  services  for  the 
next  season.  It  is  able,  also,  to  fit  out  and  despatch 
its  own  trappers  the  soonest,  so  as  to  get  the  start 
of  its  competitors,  and  to  have  the  first  dash  into 
tiie  hunting  and  trapping  grounds. 

A  new  species  of  strategy  has  sprung  out  of  this 
hunting  and  trapping  competition.  The  constant 
study  of  the  rival  bands  is  to  forestall  and  outwit 
each  other ;  to  supplant  each  other  in  the  good  will 
and  custom  of  the  Indian  tribes ;  to  cross  each 
other's  plans  ;  to  mislead  each  other  as  to  routes  ; 
in  a  word,  next  to  his  own  advantage,  the  study  of 
the  Indian  trader  is  the  disadvantage  of  his  com- 
petitor. 

The  influx  of  this  wandering  trade  has  had  its 
effects  on  the  habits  of  the  mountain  tribes.  They 
have  found  the  trapping  of  the  beaver  their  most 
profitable  species  of  hunting;  and  the  traffic  with 
the  white  man  has  opened  to  them  sources  of  luxury 
of  which  they  previously  had  no  idea.  The  intro- 
duction of  fire-arms  has  rendered  them  more  suc- 
cessful hunters,  but  at  the  same  time,  more  formida- 
ble foes ;  some  of  them,  incorrigibly  savage  and 
warlike  in  their  nature,  have  found  the  expeditions 
of  the  fur  traders,  grand  objects  cf  profitable  adven- 
ture. To  waylay  and  harass  a  band  of  trappers 
with  their  pack-horses,  when  embarrassed  in  the 


■% 


1^.- 


h 


<% 


pany  that  -^ 
JofFee,  to-   ' 
ts,  bright 
3st  chance 
dians  and 
3S  for  the 
i  despatch 
the  start  ^ 
dash  into 

ut  of  this 
constant 
id  outwit 
good  will 
OSS  each 
o  routes ; 
study  of 
lis  corn- 
had  ils 
They 
eir  most 
c  with 
f  luxury 
e  intro- 
pre  suc- 
formida- 
ige  and 
jditions 
adven- 
J'appers 
in  the 


INDIAN    BANDITTI — MOUNTAINEERS. 


25 


rugged  defiles  of  the  mountains,  has  become  as  fa- 
vorite an  exploit  with  these  Indians  as  the  plunder 
of  a  caravan  to  the  Arab  of  the  desert.  The  Crows 
and  Blackfeet,  who  were  such  terrors  in  the  path 
of  the  early  adventurers  to  Astoria,  still  continue 
their  predatory  habits,  but  seem  to  have  brought 
them  to  greater  system.  They  know  the  routes 
and  resorts  of  the  trappers ;  where  to  waylay  them 
on  their  journeys ;  where  to  find  them  in  the  hunt- 
ing seasons,  and  where  to  hover  about  them  in 
winter  quarters.  The  life  of  a  trapper,  therefore,  is 
a  perpetual  state  militant,  and  he  must  sleep  with 
his  weapons  in  his  hands. 

A  new  order  of  trappers  and  traders,  also,  have 
grown  out  of  this  system  of  things.  In  the  old 
times  of  the  great  Northwest  Company,  when  the 
trade  in  furs  was  pursued  chiefly  about  the  lakes 
and  rivers,  the  expeditions  were  carried  on  in  bat- 
teaux  and  canoes.  The  voyageurs  or  boatmen  were 
the  rank  and  file  in  the  service  of  the  trader,  and 
even  the  hardy  "  men  of  the  north,"  those  great  ruf- 
flers  and  game  birds,  were  fain  to  be  paddled  from 
point  to  point  of  their  migrations. 

A  totally  different  class  has  now  sprung  up, 
"  the  Mountaineers,"  the  traders  and  trappers  that 
scale  the  vast  mountain  chains,  and  pursue  their 
hazardous  vocations  amidst  their  wild  recesses. 
They  move  from  place  to  place  on  horseback.  The 
equestrian  exercises,  therefore,  in  which  they  are 
continually  engaged ;  the  nature  of  the  countries 
they  traverse  ;  vast  plains  and  mountains,  pure  and 
exhilarating  in  atmospheric  qualities ;  seem  to  make 

VOL.  I.  3 


* 


ihf'^. 


'^'^■- 


f^ 


i-^i- 


rfv^'^' 


% 


,".. ,/ 


i^ 


(.1  »: 


I        ^ 


n. 


^. 


•t 


•*■ 


*  \i 


26 


MOUNTAINEERS. 


il 


them  physically  and  mentally  a  more  lively  and 
mercurial  race  than  the  fur  traders  and  trappers  of 
former  days,  the  self-vaunting  "  men  of  the  north." 
A  man  who  bestrides  a  horse,  must  be  essentially 
different  from  a  man  who  cowers  in  a  canoe.  We 
find  them,  accordingly,  hardy,  lithe,  vigorous  and 
active ;  extravagant  in  word,  and  thought,  and  deed ; 
heedless  of  hardship ;  daring  of  danger ;  prodigal 
of  the  present,  and  thoughtless  of  the  future. 

A  difference  is  to  be  perceived  even  between 
these  mountain  hunters  and  those  of  the  lower  re- 
gions along  the  waters  of  the  Missouri.  The  latter, 
generally  French  Creoles,  live  comfortably  in  cabins 
and  log  huts,  well  sheltered  from  the  inclemencies 
of  the  seasons.  They  are  within  the  reach  of  fre- 
quent supplies  from  the  settlements ;  their  life  is 
comparatively  free  from  danger,  and  from  most  of 
the  vicissitudes  of  the  upper  wilderness.  The  con- 
sequence is,  that  they  are  less  hardy,  self-dependant 
and  game-spirited,  than  the  mountaineer.  If  the 
latter  by  chance  comes  among  them  on  his  way  to 
and  from  the  settlements,  he  is  like  a  game-cock 
among  the  common  roosters  of  the  poultry-yard. 
Accustomed  to  live  in  tents,  or  to  bivouac  in  the 
open  air,  he  despises  the  comforts  and  is  impatient 
of  the  confinement  of  the  log  house.  If  his  meal  is 
not  ready  in  season,  he  takes  his  rifle,  hies  to  the 
forest  or  the  prairie,  shoots  his  own  game,  lights  his 
fire,  and  cooks  his  repast.  With  his  horse  and  his 
rifle,  he  is  independent  of  the  world,  and  spurns  at 
all  its  restraints.  The  very  superintendents  at  the 
lower  posts  will  not  put  him  to  mess  with  the  com- 


t 


V 


.♦ 


^  " 


»* 

#" 


'X    -^  ,.    ^., '\  ■  '•^■' 


MOUNTAINEERS. 


27 


mon  men,  the  hirelings  of  the  establishment,  but 
treat  him  as  something  superior.  *•■ 

There  is,  perhaps,  no  class  of  men  on  the  face  of 
the  earth,  says  Captain  Bonneville,  who  lead  a  life 
of  more  continued  exertion,  peril,  and  excitement, 
and  who  are  more  enamoured  of  their  occupations, 
than  the  free  trappers  of  the  west.  No  toil,  no  dan- 
ger, no  privation  can  turn  the  trapper  from  his  pur- 
suit. His  passionate  excitement  at  limes  resembles 
a  mania.  In  vain  may  the  most  vigilant  and  cruel 
savages  beset  his  path  ;  in  vain  may  rocks,  and  pre- 
cipices, and  wintry  torrents  oppose  his  progress ; 
let  but  a  single  track  of  a  beaver  meet  his  eye,  and 
he  forgets  all  dangers  and  defies  all  difficulties. 
At  times,  he  may  be  seen  with  his  traps  on  his 
shoulder,  buffeting  his  way  across  rapid  streams, 
amidst  floating  blocks  of  ice  :  at  other  times,  he  is 
to  be  found  with  his  traps  swung  on  his  back  clam- 
bering the  most  rugged  mountains,  scaling  or  de- 
scending the  most  frightful  precipices,  searching, 
by  routes  inaccessible  to  the  horse,  and  never  before 
trodden  by  white  man,  for  springs  and  lakes  un- 
known to  his  comrades,  and  where  he  may  meet 
with  his  favorite  game.  Such  is  the  mountaineer, 
the  hardy  trapper  of  the  west;  and  such,  as  we 
have  slightly  sketched  it,  is  the  wild,  Robin  Hood 
kind  of  life,  with  all  its  strange  and  motley  popu- 
la(;e,  now  existing  in  full  vigor  among  the  Rocky 
mountains. 

Having  thus  given  the  reader  some  idea  of  the 
actual  state  of  the  fur  trade  in  the  interior  of  our 
Tast  continent,  and  made  him  acquainted  with  the 


-*•'' 


'*! 


.4 


^fS^\ 


■* 


«&        ^*  I.,         V 


f- 


>?iAi»* 


■■^^ 


\ 


yf 


'■ 


r)i 


MOUNTAIMEEtlS. 


>i.' 


wild  chivalry  of  the  mountains,  we  will  no  longer 
delay  the  introduction  of  Captain  Bonneville  and  his 
band  into  this  field  of  their  enterprise,  but  launch 
them  at  once  upon  the  perilous  plains  of  the  far 


west. 


'A: 


•^> 


K  • 


V, 


*■  t 


->, 


# 


v.; 


-*■ 


*1 


-i> 


DEPARTURE    FROM    FORT    OSAGE. 


99 


10  longer    ' 
ie  and  his 
Jt  launch 
f  the  far    ' 


^'^-ii  ''    ^'  ■  ' 


•m 


CHAPTER  II. 

Departure  from  Fort  Osage — Modes  of  transportation— Pack-horses 
— Waggons— Walker  and  Cerrd— their  characters — Buoyant 
feelings  on  launching  upon  the  prairies — Wild  equipments  of  the 
truppers — their  gambols  and  antics — Difference  of  character  be- 
tween the  American  and  French  trappers — Agency  of  the  Kan- 
sas-General Clarke — White  Plume,  the  Kansas  chief— Night 
scene  in  a  trader's  camp — Colloquy  between  White  Plume  and 
the  captain— Bee  hunters — their  expeditions — their  feuds  with 
the  Indians — Bargaining  talent  of  White  Plume. 

li  was  on  the  first  of  May,  1832,  that  Captain 
Bonneville  took  his  departure  from  the  frontier  post 
of  Fort  Osage,  on  the  Missouri.  He  had  enlisted 
a  party  of  one  hundred  and  ten  men,  most  of  whom 
had  been  in  the  Indian  country,  and  some  of  whom 
were  experienced  hunters  and  trappers.  Fort  Osage, 
and  other  places  on  the  borders  of  the  western  wild- 
erness, abound  with  characters  of  the  kind,  ready 
for  any  expedition.  * 

The  ordinary  mode  of  transportation  in  these 
great  inland  expeditions  of  the  fur  traders  is  on 
mules  and  pack-horses ;  but  Captain  Bonneville 
substituted  waggons.  Though  he  was  to  travel 
through  a  trackless  wilderness,  yet  the  greater  part 
of  his  route  would  lie  across  open  plains,  destitute 
of  forests,  and  where  wheel  carriages  can  pass  in 
every  direction.     The  chief  difficulty  occurs  in  pass- 


^1^. 


jttku 


<.-^ 


'^M< 


* 


^^^1 


r'U  Mi 


'»  :.i 
.1 


TRAVELLING   ARRANGEMENTS. 


. 


/! 


t- 


a 


I' 


ing  the  deep  ravines  cut  through  the  prairies  by 
streams  and  winter  torrents.  Here  it  is  often  ne- 
cessary to  dig  a  road  down  the  banks,  and  to  make 
bridges  for  the  waggons.  ; 

In  transporting  his  baggage  in  vehicles  of  this 
kind,  Captain  Bonneville  thought  he  would  save  the 
great  delay  caused  every  morning  by  packing  the 
horses,  and  the  labor  of  unpacking  in  the  evening. 
Fewer  horses  also  would  be  required,  and  less  risk 
incurred  of  their  wandering  away,  or  being  fright- 
ened or  carried  off  by  the  Indians.  The  waggons, 
also,  would  be  more  easily  defended,  and  might 
form  a  kind  of  fortification  in  case  of  attack  in  the 
open  prairies.  A  train  of  twenty  waggons,  drawn 
by  oxen,  or  by  four  mules  or  horses  each,  and  laden 
with  merchandise,  ammunition,  and  provisions,  were 
disposed  in  two  columns  in  the  centre  of  the  partj^ 
which  was  equally  divided  into  a  van  and  a  rear- 
guard. As  sub-leaders  or  lieutenants  in  his  expedi- 
tion. Captain  Bonneville  had  made  choice  of  Mr.  I. 
R.  Walker  and  Mr.  M.  S.  Cerrd.  The  former  was 
a  native  of  Tennessee,  about  six  feet  high,  strong 
built,  dark  complexioned,  brave  in  spirit,  though  mild 
in  manners.  He  had  resided  for  many  years  in 
Missouri,  on  the  frontier ;  had  been  among  the  ear- 
liest adventurers  to  Santa  Fe,  where  he  went  to  trap 
beaver,  and  was  taken  by  the  Spaniards.  Being 
liberated,  he  engaged  with  the  Spaniards  and  Sioux 
Indians  in  a  war  against  the  Pawnees ;  then  re- 
turned to  Missouri,  and  had  acted  by  turns  as  sheriff, 
trader,  trapper,  until  he  was  enlisted  as  a  leader  by 
Captain  Bonneville. 


•»♦ 


%:, 


>* 


i   .. 


'la 


■y  -?¥ 


I 


il 


>'>; 


W  *    ■  #""'' 


Wt 


J,* 


^"it 


TRAVELLING    ARRANGEMENTS. 


31 


liries  by 
)ften  ne- 
to  make 

(  of  this 
save  the 
king  the 
evening, 
less  risk 
g  fright- 
^raggons, 
id  might 
ck  in  the 
s,  drawn 
^nd  laden 
)ns,  were 
he  part}'', 
1  a  rear- 
5  expedi- 
>f  Mr.  I. 
mer  was 
1,  strong 
igh  mild 
jrears  in 
he  ear- 
to  trap 
Being 
Sioux 
en  re- 
sheriff, 
der  by 


Cerre,  his  other  leader,  had  likewise  been  in  ex- 
peditions to  Santa  Fe,  in  which  he  had  endured 
much  hardship.  He  was  of  the  middle  size,  light 
complexioned,  and  though  but  about  twenty-five 
years  of  age,  was  considered  an  experienced  Indian 
trader.  It  was  a  great  object  with  Captain  Bonne- 
ville to  get  to  the  mountains  before  the  summer 
heats  and  summer  flies  should  render  the  travelling 
across  the  prairies  distressing;  and  before  the  annual 
assemblages  of  people  connected  with  the  fur  trade, 
should  have  broken  up,  and  dispersed  to  the  hunt- 
ing grounds.  '      .  '  <-         ■■  '       !'>       ^     ..     •:■'■■ 

The  two  rival  associations  already  mentioned,  the 
American  Fur  Company  and  the  Rocky  Mountain 
Fur  Company,  had  their  several  places  of  rendez- 
vous for  the  present  year  at  no  great  distance  apart, 
in  Pierre's  Hole,  a  deep  valley  in  the  heart  of  the 
mountains,  and  thither  Captain  Bonneville  intended 
to  shape  his  course. 

It  is  not  easy  to  do  justice  to  the  exulting  feel- 
ings of  the  worthy  captain,  at  finding  himself  at 
the  head  of  a  stout  band  of  hunters,  trappers,  and 
woodmen ;  fairly  launched  on  the  broad  prairies, 
with  his  face  to  the  boundless  west.  The  tamest 
inhabitant  of  cities,  th^  veriest  spoiled  child  of  civil- 
ization, feels  his  heart  dilate  and  his  pulse  beat 
high,  on  finding  himself  on  horseback  in  the  glori- 
ous wilderness ;  what  then  must  be  the  excitement 
of  one  whose  imagination  had  been  stimulated  by  a 
residence  on  the  frontier,  and  to  whom  the  wilder- 
ness was  a  region  of  romance  ! 

His  hardy  followers  partook  of  his  excitement. 


0 


H 


^i# 


:^. 


^^•1^ 


32 


$      TRAPPERS     GAMBOLS. 


■»» 


Most  of  them  h&d  already  experienced  the  wild 
freedom  of  savage  life,  and  looked  forward  to  a 
renewal  of  past  scenes  of  adventure  and  exploit. 
Their  very  appearance  and  equipment  exhibited  a 
piebald  mixture,  half  civilized  and  half  savage. 
Many  of  them  looked  more  like  Indians  than  white 
men,  in  their  garbs  and  accoutrements,  and  their 
very  horses  were  caparisoned  in  barbaric  style,  with 
fantastic  trappings.  The  outset  of  a  band  of  ad- 
venturers on  one  of  these  expeditions  is  always 
animated  and  joyous.  The  welkin  rang  with  their 
shouts  and  yelps,  after  the  manner  of  the  savages ; 
and  with  boisterous  jokes  and  light-hearted  laugh- 
ter. As  they  passed  the  straggling  hamlets  and 
solitary  cabins  that  fringe  the  skirts  of  the  frontier, 
they  would  startle  their  inmates  by  Indian  yells  and 
war-whoops,  or  regale  them  with  grotesque  feats 
of  Indian  horsemanship,  well  suited  to  their  half 
savage  appearance.  Most  of  these  abodes  were  in- 
habited by  men  who  had  themselves  been  in  similar 
expeditions,  they  welcomed  the  travellers,  therefore, 
as  brother  trappers,  treated  them  with  a  hunter's 
hospitality,  and  cheered  them  with  an  honest  God 
speed,  at  parting. 

And  here  we  would  remark  a  great  difference, 
in  point  of  character  and  quality,  between  the  two 
classes  of  trappers,  the  "American"  and  "French," 
as  they  are  called  in  contradistinction.  The  latter 
is  meant  to  designate  the  French  Creole  of  Canada 
or  Louisiana;  tlie  former,  the  trapper  of  the  old 
American  stock,  from  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  and 
others  of  the  western  states.    The  French  trapper 


-l^ 


■^.. 


i% 


4i 


■-# 


AMERICAN    AND   FRENCH    TAAPPBRS. 


33 


is  represented  as  a  lighter,  softer,  more  self-indul- 
gent kind  of  man.  He  must  have  his  Indian  wife, 
his  lodge,  and  his  petty  conveniences.  He  is  gay 
and  thoughtless,  takes  little  heed  of  landmarks, 
depends  upon  his  leaders  and  companions  to  think 
for  the  common  weal,  and,  if  left  to  himself,  is 
easily  perplexed  and  lost. 

The  American  trapper  stands  by  himself,  and  is 
peerless  for  the  service  of  the  wilderness.  Drop 
him  in  the  midst  of  a  prairie,  or  in  the  heart  of  the 
mountains,  and  he  is  never  at  a  loss.  He  notices 
every  landmark;  can  retrace  his  route  through 
the  most  monotonous  plains,  or  the  most  perplexed 
labyrinths  of  the  mountains ;  no  danger  nor  diffi- 
culty can  appal  him,  and  he  scorns  to  cbmplain 
under  any  privation.  In  equipping  the  two  kinds 
of  trappers,  the  Creole  and  Canadian  are  apt  to  pre- 
fer the  light  fusee ;  the  -American  always  grasps  the 
rifle :  he  despises  what  he  calls  the  "  shot-gun." 
We  give  these  estimates  on  the  authority  of  a  trader 
of  long  experience,  and  a  foreigner  by  birth.  "  I  con- 
sider one  American,"  said  he,  "  equal  to  three  Cana- 
dians in  point  of  sagacity,  aptness  at  resources,  self- 
dependence,  and  fearlessness  of  spirit.  In  fact,  no 
one  can  cope  with  him  as  a  stark  tramper  of  the 
wilderness." 

Beside  the  two  classes  of  trappers  just  mentioned, 
Captain  Bonneville  had  enlisted  several  Delaware 
Indians  in  his  employ,  on  whose  hunting  qualifica- 
tions he  placed  great  reliance. 

On  the  6th  of  May  the  travellers  passed  the  last 
border  habitation,  and  bade  a  long  farewell  to  the 


-#'•" 


# 


"^y 


\ 


4iA 


*:U 


I 


% 


k^^' 


K    •«■ 


^ 


^  t 


t 


34 


It 

KANSAS    AGENCY. 


^W 


,*^" 


ease  and  security  of  civilization.  The  buoyant  and 
clamorous  spirits  with  which  they  had  commenced 
their  march,  gradually  subsided  as  they  entered 
upon  its  difficulties.  They  found  the  prairies  sat- 
urated with  the  heavy  cold  rains,  prevalent  in  certain 
seasons  of  the  year  in  this  part  of  the  country. 
The  waggon  wheels  sank  deep  in  the  mire,  the 
horses  were  often  to  the  fetlock,  and  both  steed  and 
rider  were  completely  jaded  by  the  evening  of  the 
12th,  when  they  reached  the  Kansas  river;  a  fine 
stream  about  three  hundred  yards  wide,  entering 
the  Missouri  from  the  south.  Though  fordable  in 
almost  every  part  at  the  end  of  summer  and  during 
the  autimin,  yet  it  was  necessary  to  construct  a  raft 
for  the  transportation  of  the  waggons  and  effects. 
All  this  was  done  in  the  course  of  the  following 
day,  and  by  evening,  the  whole  party  arrived  at  the 
agency  of  the  Kansas  tribe.  This  was  under  the 
superintendence  of  General  Clarke,  brother  of  the 
celebrated  traveller  of  the  same  name,  who,  with 
Lewis,  made  the  first  expedition  down  the  waters 
of  the  Columbia.  He  was  living  like  a  patriarch, 
surrounded  by  laborers  and  interpreters,  all  snugly 
housed,  and  provided  with  excellent  farms.  The 
functionary  next  in  consequence  to  the  agent,  was 
the  blacksmith,  a  most  important,  and  indeed,  indis- 
pensable personage  in  a  frontier  community.  The 
Kansas  resemble  the  Osages  in  features,  dress,  and 
language  :  they  raise  corn  and  hunt  the  buffalo,  rang- 
ing the  Kansas  river,  and  its  tributary  streams;  at 
the  time  of  the  captain's  visit,  they  were  at  war  with 
the  Pawnees  of  the  Nebraska,  or  Platte  river. 


-.-'?^: 


!*. 


''rrt,;*: 


un 


^ 


^  *-■' 


t':i 


«m 


WHITE    PLUMB. 


35 


r 


The  unusual  sight  of  a  train  of  waggons,  caused 
quite  a  sensation  among  these  savages ;  who  thronged 
about  the  caravan,  examining  every  thing  minutely, 
and  asking  a  thousand  questions :  exhibiting  a  de- 
gree of  excitability,  and  a  lively  curiosity,  totally 
opposite  to  that  apathy  with  which  their  race  is  so 
often  reproached. 

The  personage  who  most  attracted  the  captain's 
attention  at  this  place,  was  "  White  Plume,"  the 
Kansas  chief,  and  they  soon  became  good  friends. 
White  Plume  (we  are  pleased  with  his  chivalrous 
soubriquet)  inhabited  a  large  stone  house,  built  for 
him  by  order  of  the  American  government :  but  the 
establishment  had  not  been  carried  out  in  corres- 
pondent style.  It  might  be  palape  without,  but  it 
was  wigwam  within ;  so  that,  between  the  stateli- 
ness  of  his  mansion,  and  the  squalidness  of  his  fur- 
niture, the  gallant  White  Plume  presented  some 
such  whimsical  incongruity  as  we  see  in  the  gala 
equipments  of  an  Indian  chief,  on  a  treaty-making 
embassy  at  Washington,  who  has  been  generously 
decked  out  in  cocked  hat  and  military  coat,  in  con- 
trast to  his  breech-clout  and  leathern  leggings ; 
being  grand  officer  at  top,  and  ragged  Indian  at 
bottom.  -     4p« 

White  Plume  was  so  taken  with  the  courtesy  of 
the  captain,  and  pleased  with  one  or  two  presents 
received  from  him,  that  he  accompanied  him  a  day's 
journey  on  his  march,  and  passed  a  night  in  his 
camp,  on  the  margin  of  a  small  stream.  The 
method  of  encamping  generally  observed  by  the 
captain,  was  as  follows :  The  twenty  waggons  were 


^ 


%<,^ 


ifi'K 


"M 


it. 


** 


^^^W'' 


>0. 


f       L 


^  .:^"'V' 


.■F*- 


86 


MODE    OP    ENCAMPMENT. 


^f 


disposed  in  a  square,  at  the  distance  of  thirty-three 
feet  from  each  other.  In  every  interval  there  was 
a  mess  stationed ;  and  each  mess  had  its  fire,  where 
the  men  cooked,  ate,  gossiped,  and  slept.  The 
horses  were  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  square,  with 
a  guard  stationed  over  them  at  night. 

The  horses  were  "  side  lined,"  as  it  is  termed  : 
that  is  to  say,  the  fore  and  hind  foot  on  the  same 
side  of  the  animal  were  tied  together,  so  as  to  be 
within  eighteen  inches  of  each  other.  A  horse  thus 
fettered  is  for  a  time  sadly  embarrassed,  but  soon 
becomes  sufficiently  accustomed  to  the  restraint  to 
move  about  slowly.  It  prevents  his  wandering ; 
and  his  being  easily  carried  off  at  night  by  lurking 
Indians.  When  a  horse  that  is  "  foot  free,"  is  tied 
to  one  thus  secured,  the  latter  forms,  as  it  were,  a 
pivot,  round  which  the  other  runs  and  curvets,  in 
case  of  alarm. 

The  encampment  of  which  we  are  speaking,  pre- 
sented a  striking  scene.  The  various  mess-fires 
were  surrounded  by  picturesque  groups,  standing, 
sitting,  and  reclining ;  some  busied  in  cooking,  oth- 
ers in  cleaning  their  weapons  :  while  the  frequent 
laugh  told  that  the  rough  joke,  or  merry  story 
was  going  on.  In  the  middle  of  the  camp,  before 
the  principal  lodge,  sat  the  tw^o  chieftains,  Captain 
Bonneville  and  White  Plume,  in  soldier-like  com- 
munion, the  captain  delighted  with  the  opportunity 
of  meeting,  on  social  terms,  with  one  of  the  red 
warriors  of  tho  wilderness,  the  unsophisticated  child- 
ren of  nature.  The  latter  was  squatted  on  his  buf- 
falo robe,  his  strong  features  and  red  skin  glaring 


rl 


-^■M 


.4- 


Ik    \ 


•% 


If* 


:.Jt 


m 


y-three 
;re  was 
;,  where 
t.    The 
tre,  with 

termed : 
he  same 
as  to  be 
orse  thus 
but  soon 
straint  to 
andering ; 
)y  lurking 
e,"  is  tied 
it  were,  a 
:urvets,  in 


JSfi) 


BEE   HUNTERS. 


37 


in  the  broad  light  of  a  blazing  fire,  while  he  re- 
counted astounding  tales  of  the  bloody  exploits  of 
his  tribe  and  himself,  in  their  wars  with  the  Paw- 
nees ;  for  there  are  no  old  soldiers  more  given  to 
long  campaigning  stories,  than  Indian  "  braves." 

The  feuds  of  White  Plume,  however,  had  not 
been  confined  to  the  red  men  ;  he  had  much  to  say 
of  brushes  with  bee  hunters,  a  class  of  offenders  for 
whom  he  seemed  to  cherish  a  particular  abhorrence. 
As  the  species  of  hunting  prosecuted  by  these  wor- 
thies is  not  laid  down  in  any  of  the  ancient  books 
of  venerie,  and  is,  in  fact,  peculiar  to  our  western 
frontier,  a  word  or  two  on  the  subject  may  not  be 
unacceptable  to  the  reader. 

The  bee  hunter  is  generally  some  settler  on  the 
verge  of  the  prairies  ;  a  long,  lank  fellow,  of  fever 
and  ague  complexion,  acquired  from  living  on  new 
soil,  and  in  a  hut  built  of  green  logs.  In  the  au- 
tumn, when  the  harvest  is  over,  these  frontier  set- 
tlers form  parties  of  two  or  three,  and  prepare  for  a 
bee  hunt.  Having  provided  themselves  with  a  wag- 
gon, and  a  number  of  empty  casks,  they  sally  off, 
armed  with  their  rifles,  into  the  wilderness,  direct- 
ing their  course  east,  west,  north,  or  south,  without 
any  regard  to  the  ordinance  of  the  American  gov- 
ernment, which  strictly  forbids  all  trespass  upon  the 
lands  belonging  to  the  Indian  tribes. 

The  belts  of  woodland  that  traverse  the  lower 
prairies,  and  border  the  rivers,  are  peopled  by  in- 
numerable swarms  of  wild  bees,  which  make  their 
hives  in  hollow  trees,  and  fill  them  with  honey  tolled 
froii)  the  rich  flowers  of  the  prairies.    The  bees, 

VOL.  I.  4 


•I 


m 


I 


'I 


,f 


"^f 


■* 


1^ 


r«:. 


.^ 


M^ 


.1# 


'  *♦- 


4' 


WILD    HONEY. 


according  to  popular  assertion,  are  migrating  like 
the  settlers,  to  the  west.  An  Indian  trader,  well 
experienced  in  the  country,  informs  us  that  within 
ten  years  that  he  has  passed  in  the  far  west,  the 
bee  has  advanced  westward  above  a  hundred  miles. 
It  is  said  on  the  Missouri,  that  the  wild  turkey  and 
the  wild  bee  go  up  the  river  together  :  neither  are 
found  in  the  upper  regions.  It  is  but  recently  that 
the  wild  turkey  has  been  killed  on  the  Nebraska, 
or  Platte;  and  his  travelling  competitor,  the  wild 
bee,  appeared  there  about  the  same  time. 

Be  all  this  as  it  may :  the  course  of  our  party  of 
bee  hunters,  is  to  make  a  wide  circuit  through  the 
woody  river  bottoms,  and  the  patches  of  forest  on 
the  prairies,  marking,  as  they  go  out,  every  tree  in 
which  they  have  detected  a  hive.  These  marks 
are  generally  respected  by  any  other  bee  hunter 
that  should  come  upon  their  track.  When  they 
have  marked  sufficient  to  fill  all  theil^casks,  they  turn 
their  faces  homeward,  cut  doWii^the  trees  as  they 
proceed,  and  having  loaded  their  waggon  with  honey 
and  wax,  return  well  pleased  to  the  settlements. 

Now  it  so  happens  that  the  Indians  relish  wild 
honey  as  highly  as  do  the  white  men,  and  ;  re  the 
more  delighted  with  this  natural  luxury  from  its 
having,  in  many  instances,  but  recently  made  its 
appearance  in  their  lands.  The  consequence  is, 
numberless  disputes  and  conflicts  between  them  and 
the  bee  hunters  ;  and  often  a  party  of  the  latter, 
returning,  laden  with  rich  spoil,  from  one  of  their 
forays,  are  apt  to  be  waylaid  by  the  native  lords 
of  the  soil ;  their  honey  to  be  seized,  their  harness 


% 


i  I 


M-    * 


m 


is- 


>  *  ■*  ■ 


r 


-%■'• 


RECIPROCITY. 


39 


cut  to  pieces,  and  themselves  left  to  find  their  way 
home  the  best  way  they  can,  happy  to  escape  with 
no  greater  personal  harm  than  a  sound  rib-roasting. 

Such  were  the  marauders  of  v/hose  offences  the 
gallant  White  Plume  made  the  most  bitter  com- 
plaint. They  were  chiefly  the  settlers  of  the  west- 
ern part  of  Missouri,  who  are  the  most  famous  bee 
hunters  on  the  frontier,  and  whose  favorite  hunting 
ground  lies  within  the  lands  of  the  Kansas  tribe. 
According  to  the  account  of  White  Plume,  how- 
ever, matters  were  pretty  fairly  balanced  between 
him  and  the  offenders ;  he  having  as  often  treated 
them  to  a  taste  of  the  bitter,  as  they  had  robbed 
him  of  the  sweets. 

It  is  but  justice  to  ih'  i^ant  chief  to  say,  that 
he  gave  proofs  of  having;  .;  tired  some  of  the  lights 
of  civilization  from  his  proximity  to  the  whites,  as 
was  evinced  in  his  knowledge  of  driving  a  bargain. 
He  required  hard  cash  in  return  for  some  corn  with 
which  he  supplied  the  worthy  captain,  and  left  the 
latter  at  a  loSJs  which  most  to  admire,  his  native 
chivalry  as  a  brave,  or  his  acquired  adroitness  as  a 
trader. 


*• 


■i^r 


'.■* 


.DiM,     •,!*...       j*'. 


h 


*;'       ^    ■ 

,.  'i\  :  •    — 

9 
t 

- 

4' 

r 

40 

4l 

WIDE 

PRAIRIES. 

/■• 


^ 


f  I 


.^z 


;•! 


1  i 


'> 


'i^ 


(! 


CHAPTER  III. 


S. 


Wide  prairies — Vegetable  productions — Tabular  hills — S!abs  of 
sandstone — Nebraska  or  Platte  river — Scanty  fare— Buffalo 
sculls — Waggons  turned  into  boats — Herds  of  Buffalo — Cliils 
resembling  castles — The  chimney — Scott's  bluffs — Story  con- 
nected with  them — The  bighorn  or  ahsahta — its  nature  and 
habits — Diflerence  between  that  and  the  •*  woolly  slieep,"  or  goat 
of  the  mountains. 

From  the  middle  to  the  end  of  May,  Captain  Bonne- 
ville pursued  a  western  course  over  vast  undulating 
plains,  destitute  of  tree  or  shrub,  rendered  miry  by 
occasional  rain,  and  cut  up  by  deep  water  courses, 
'v,  here  they  had  to  dig  roads  for  their  waggons  down 
the  soft  crumbling  banks,  and  to  throw  bridges 
across  the  streams.  The  weather  had  attained  the 
summer  heat ;  the  thermometer  standing  about 
fifty-seven  degrees  in  the  morning,  early,  but  rising 
to  about  ninety  degrees  at  noon.  The  incessant 
breezes,  however,  which  sweep  these  vast  plains, 
render  the  heats  endurable.  Game  was  scanty,  and 
they  had  to  eke  out  their  scanty  fare  with  wild  roots 
and  vegetables,  such  as  the  Indian  potato,  the  wild 
onion,  and  the  prairie  tomato,  and  they  met  with 
quantities  of  "red  root,"  from  which  the  hunters 
make  a  very  palatable  beverage.  The  only  human 
being  that  crossed  their  path  was  a  Kansas  warrior, 


^'.■^■■ 


TABULAR   HILLS. 


41 


returning  from  some  solitary  expedition  of  bravado  . 
or  revenge,  bearing  a  Pawnee  scalp  as  a  trophy. 

The  country  gradually  rose  as  they  proceedjed 
westward,  and  their  rout*^  took  them  over  high 
ridges,  commanding  wide  and  beautiful  prospects. 
The  vast  plain  was  studded  on  the  west  with  in- 
numerable hills  of  conical  shape,  such  as  are  seen 
north  of  the  Arkansas  river.  These  hills  have  their 
summits  apparently  cut  off  about  the  same  eleva- 
tion, so  as  to  leave  flat  surfaces  at  top.  It  is  con- 
jectured by  some,  that  the  whole  country  may 
originally  have  been  of  the  altitude  of  these  tabular 
hills ;  but  through  some  process  of  nature  may 
have  sunk  to  its  present  level;  these  insulated 
eminences  being  protected  by  broad  foundations 
of  solid  rock. 

Captain  Bonneville  mentions  another  geological 
phenomenon  north  of  Red  river,  where  the  surface 
of  the  earth,  in  considerable  tracts  of  country,  is 
covered  with  broad  slabs  of  sandstone,  having  the 
form  and  position  of  grave-stones,  and  looking  as  if 
they  had  been  forced  up  by  some  subterranean  agi- 
tation. "  The  resemblance,"  says  he,  "  which  these 
very  remarkable  spots  have  in  many  places  to  old 
churchyards  is  curious  in  the  extreme.  One  might 
almost  fancy  himself  among  the  tombs  of  the  pre- 
Adamites." 

On  the  2d  of  June,  they  arrived  on  the  main  - 

stream  of  the  Nebraska  or  Platte  river ;  twenty-five 

miles  below  the  head  of  the  Great  island.      The 

low  banks  of  this  river  give  it  an  appearance  of 

great  width.     Captain  Bonneville  measured  it  in 

4* 


^^1 


i.iS'i 


flS^^ 


>( 


.^• 


^ 


•.t 


! 


42 


BUFFALO   SCITLL8. 


)    i 


I-    !j 


I' 


;  ■• 


'^■, 


jA  one  place,  and  found  it  twenty-two  hundred  yards 
from  bank  to  bank.  Its  depth  was  from  three  to  six 
feet,  the  bottom  full  of  quicksands.  The  Nebraska 
is  studded  with  islands  covered  with  that  species 
of  poplar  called  the  cotton-wood  tree.  Keeping  up 
along  the  course  of  this  river  for  several  days,  they 
were  obliged,  from  the  scarcity  of  game,  to  put 
themselves  upon  short  allowance,  and,  occasionally, 
to  kill  a  steer.  They  bore  their  daily  labors  and 
privations,  however,  with  great  good  humor,  taking 
their  tone,  in  all  probability,  from  the  bouyant  spirit 
of  their  leader.  "  If  the  weather  was  inclement," 
says  the  captain,  "  we  watched  the  clouds,  and  hoped 
for  a  sight  of  the  blue  sky  and  the  merry  sun.  If 
food  was  scanty,  we  regaled  ourselves  with  the  hope 
of  soon  falling  in  with  herds  of  buffalo,  and  having 
nothing  to  do  but  slay  and  t  at."  We  doubt  whether 
the  genial  captain  is  not  describing  the  cheeriness 
of  his  own  breast,  which  gave  a  cheery  aspect  to 
every  thing  around  him. 

There  certainly  were  evidences,  however,  that  the 
country  was  not  always  equally  destitute  of  game. 
At  one  place,  they  observed  a  field  decorated  with 
buffalo  sculls,  arranged  in  circles,  curves,  and  other 
mathematical  figures,  as  if  for  some  mystic  rite  or 
ceremony.  They  were  almost  innumerable,  and 
seemed  to  have  been  a  vast  hecatomb  offered  up  in 
thanksgiving  to  the  Great  Spirit  for  some  signal 
success  in  the  chase.  ^  <-  ■% 

On  the  11th  of  June,  they  came  to  the  fork  of 
the  Nebraska,  where  it  divides  itself  into  two  equal 
and  beautiful  streams.     One  of  these  branches  rises 


* 


'W 


•       -A  ■ 


M 


^;^ 


# 


M , 

_■     ^ 


% 


T?. 


CR0S8INO   THE   NEBRASKA. 


48 


in  the  west  southwest,  near  the  head  waters  of  the 
Arkansas.  Up  the  course  of  this  branch,  as  Captain 
Bonneville  was  well  aware,  lay  the  route  to  the 
Camanche  and  Kioway  Indians,  and  to  the  northern 
Mexican  settlements ;  of  the  other  branch  he  knew 
nothing.  Its  sources  might  lie  among  wild  and  in- 
accessible cliffs,  and  tumble  and  foam  down  rugged 
defiles  and  over  craggy  precipices ;  but  its  direction 
was  in  the  true  course,  and  up  this  stream  he  deter- 
mined to  prosecute  his  route  to  the  Rocky  moun- 
tains. Finding  it  impossible,  from  quicksands  and 
other  dangerous  impediments,  to  cross  the  river  in 
this  neighborhood,  he  kept  up  along  the  south  fork 
for  two  days,  merely  seeking  a  safe  fording  place. 
At  length  he  encamped,  caused  the  bodies  of  the 
waggons  to  be  dislodged  from  the  wheels,  covered 
with  buffalo  hides,  and  besmeared  with  a  compound 
of  tallow  and  ashes ;  thus  forming  rude  boats.  In 
these,  they  ferried  their  effects  across  the  stream, 
which  was  six  hundred  yards  wide,  with  a  swift 
and  strong  current.  Three  men  were  in  each  boat, 
to  manage  it;  others  waded  across,  pushing  the 
barks  before  them.  Thus  all  crossed  in  safety.  A 
march  of  nine  miles  took  them  over  high  rolling 
prairies  to  the  north  fork ;  their  eyes  being  regaled 
with  the  welcome  sight  of  herds  of  buffalo  at  a  dis- 
tance, some  careering  the  plain,  others  grazing  and 
reposing  in  the  natural  meadows. 

Skirting  along  the  north  fork  for  a  day  or  two,  ex- 
cessively annoyed  by  musquitoes  and  buffalo  gnats, 
they  reached,  in  the  evening  of  the  17th,  a  small 
but  beautiful  grove,  from  which  issued  the  confused 


;■  t 


f"     <    ': 


>■• 


II 


f    i 


n/ 


44 


BLACK-TAILED   DEER. 


notes  of  singing  birds,  the  iirst  they  had  heard  since 
crossing  the  boundary  of  Missouri.  After  so  many 
days  of  weary  travelling,  through  a  naked,  mono- 
tonous and  silent  country,  it  was  delightful  once 
more  to  hear  the  song  of  the  bird,  and  to  behold  the 
verdure  of  the  grove.  It  was  a  beautiful  sunset, 
and  a  sight  of  the  glowing  rays,  mantling  the  tree 
tops  and  rustling  branches,  seemed  to  gladden  every 
heart.  They  pitched  their  camp  in  the  grove,  kin- 
dled their  fires,  partook  merrily  of  their  rude  fare, 
and  resigned  themselves  to  the  sweetest  sleep  they 
had  enjoyed  since  their  outset  upon  the  prairies. 

The  country  now  became  rugged  and  broken. 
High  bluflfs  advanced  upon  the  river,  and  forced  the 
travellers  occasionally  to  leave  its  banks  and  wind 
their  course  into  the  interior.  In  one  of  the  wild 
and  solitary  passes,  they  were  startled  by  the  trail  of 
four  or  five  pedestrians,  whom  they  supposed  to  be 
spies  from  some  predatory  camp  of  either  Arickara 
or  Crow  Indians.  This  obliged  them  to  redouble 
their  vigilance  at  night,  and  to  keep  especial  watch 
upon  their  horses.  In  these  rugged  and  elevated 
regions  they  began  to  see  the  black-tailed  deer,  a 
species  larger  than  the  ordinary  kind,  and  chiefly 
found  in  rocky  and  mountainous  countries.  They 
had  reached  also  a  great  buffalo  range ;  Captain 
Bonneville  ascended  a  high  bluff,  commanding  an 
extensive  view  of  the  surrounding  plains.  As  far  as 
his  eye  could  reach,  the  country  seemed  absolutely 
blackened  by  innumerable  herds.  No  language,  he 
says,  could  convey  an  adequate  idea  of  the  vast  liv- 
ing mass  thus  presented  to  his  eye.     He  remarked 


t 


-*■ 


'^ 


■^. 


# 


^'^ 


.yr  ,f» 


'•% 


■#- 


44. 


» 


THB   CHIMNEY. 


46 


that  the  bulls  and  cows  generally  congregated  in 
separate  herds. 

Opposite  to  the  camp  at  this  place,  was  a  singu- 
lar phenomenon,  which  is  among  the  curiosities  of 
the  country.  It  is  called  the  chimney.  The  lower 
part  is  a  conical  mound,  rising  out  of  the  naked 
plain ;  from  the  summit  shoots  up  a  shaft  or  column, 
about  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  height,  from 
which  it  derives  its  name.  The  height  of  the 
whole,  according  to  Captain  Bonneville,  is  a  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five  yards.  It  is  composed  of 
indurated  clay,  with  alternate  layers  of  red  and  white 
sandstone,  and  may  be  seen  at  the  distance  of  up- 
wards of  thirty  miles.  "   • 

On  the  21st,  they  encan^ped  amidst  high  and 
beetling  cliffs  of  indurated  clay  and  sandstone,  bear- 
ing the  semblance  of  towers,  castles,  churches,  and 
fortified  cities.  At  a  distance,  it  was  scarcely  pos- 
sible to  persuade  oneself  that  the  works  of  art  were 
not  mingled  with  these  fantastic  freaks  of  nature. 
They  have  received  the  name  of  Scott's  bluffs,  from 
a  melancholy  circumstance.  A  number  of  years 
since,  a  party  were  descending  the  upper  part  of 
the  river  in  canoes,  when  their  frail  barks  were 
overturned  and  all  their  powder  spoiled.  Their 
rifles  being  thus  rendered  useless,  they  were  unable 
to  procure  food  by  hunting,  and  had  to  depend  upon 
roots  and  wild  fruits  for  subsistence.  After  suffer- 
ing extremely  from  hunger,  they  arrived  at  Lara- 
mie's fork,  a  small  tributary  of  the  north  branch  of 
the  Nebraska,  about  sixty  miles  above  the  cliffs  just 
mentioned.    Here  one  of  the  party,  by  the  name  of 


.,4*; 


i 


M 


m 


m 

M. 


:jb 


■*  \ 


^:'iifa£te'- 


m. 


'  f 


\< 


4 


1- 


■«*' 


XT 


46 


8C0TT  S    BLVTW. 


Scott,  was  taken  ill ;  and  his  companions  came  to 
a  halt,  until  he  should  recover  health  and  strength 
sufficient  to  proceed.  While  they  were  searching 
round  in  quest  of  edible  roots,  they  discovered  a 
fresh  trail  of  white  men,  who  had  evidently  but  re- 
cently preceded  them.  What  was  to  be  done  ?  By 
a  forced  march  they  might  overtake  this  party,  and 
thus  be  able  to  reach  the  settlements  in  safety. 
Should  they  linger,  they  might  all  perish  of  famine 
and  exhaustion.  Scott,  however,  was  incapable  of 
moving ;  they  were  too  feeble  to  aid  him  forward, 
and  dreaded  that  such  a  clog  would  prevent  their 
coming  up  with  the  advance  party.  They  deter- 
mined, therefore,  to  abandon  him  to  his  fate.  Ac- 
cordingly, un(^er  pretence  of  seeking  food,  and  such 
simples  as  might  be  efficacious  in  his  malady,  they 
deserted  him  and  hastened  forward  upon  the  trail. 
They  succeeded  in  overtaking  the  party  of  which 
they  were  in  quest,  but  concealed  their  faithless 
desertion  of  Scott;  alleging  that  he  had  died  of 
disease. 

On  the  ensuing  summer,  these  very  individuals 
visiting  these  parts  in  company  with  others,  came 
suddenly  upon  the  bleached  bones  and  grinning  scull 
of  a  human  skeleton,  which,  by  certain  signs  they 
recognised  for  the  remains  of  Scott.  This  was 
sixty  long  miles  from  the  place  where  they  had 
abandoned  him ;  and  it  appeared  that  the  wretched 
man  had  crawled  that  immense  distance  before 
death  put  an  end  to  his  miseries.  The  wild  and 
picturesque  bluffs  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  lonely 
grave  have  ever  since  borne  his  name. 


<r^ 


^' 


,4^ 
"%■" 


m 


THE  AHSAHTA  OR  BIGHORN. 


4T 


Amidst  this  wild  and  striking  scenery,  Captain 
Bonneville,  for  the  first  time,  beheld  flocks  of  the 
ahsahta  or  bighorn,  an  animal  which  frequents  these 
cliffs  in  great  numbers.  They  accord  with  the  na- 
ture of  such  scenery,  and  add  much  to  its  romantic 
effect ;  bounding  like  goats  from  crag  to  crag,  often 
trooping  along  the  lofty  shelves  of  the  mountains, 
under  the  guidance  of  some  venerable  patriarch, 
with  horns  twisted  lower  than  his  muzzle,  and  some- 
times peering  over  the  edge  of  a  precipice,  so  high 
that  they  appear  scarce  bigger  than  crows ;  indeed, 
it  seems  a  pleasure  to  them  to  seek  the  most  rugged 
and  frightful  situations,  doubtless  from  a  feelincr  of 
security.  ^  ' 

This  animal  is  commonly  called  the  mountain 
sheep,  and  is  often  confounded  with  another  animal, 
the  "  woolly  sheep,"  found  more  to  the  northward, 
about  the  country  of  the  Flathcads.  The  latter 
likewise  inhabits  cliffs  in  summer,  but  descends  into 
the  valleys  in  the  winter.  It  has  white  wool,  like  a 
sheep,  mingled  with  a  thin  growth  of  long  hair ;  but 
it  has  short  legs,  a  deep  belly,  and  a  beard  like  a 
goat.  Its  horns  are  about  five  inches  long,  slightly 
curved  backwards,  black  as  jet,  and  beautifully 
polished.  Its  hoofs  are  of  the  same  color.  This 
animal  is  by  no  means  so  active  as  the  bighorn ;  it 
does  not  bound  much,  but  sets  a  good  deal  upon  its 
haunches.  It  is  not  so  plentiful  either ;  rarely  more 
than  two  or  three  are  seen  at  a  time.  Its  wool 
alone  gives  it  a  resemblance  to  the  sheep ;  it  is 
more  properly  of  the  goat  genus.  The  flesh  is  said 
to  have  a  musty  flavor ;  some  have  thought  the  fleece 


«  / 


# 


#- 


€ 


-1f^ 


* 


« 


%: 


k^.f.. 


D 


48 


NATURE    AND   HABITS. 


might  be  valuable,  as  it  is  said  to  be  as  fine  as  that 
of  the  goat  of  Cashmere,  but  it  is  not  to  be  procured 
in  sufficient  quantities. 

The  ahsahta,  argali,  or  bighorn,  on  the  contrary, 
has  short  hair  like  a  deer,  and  resembles  it  in  shape, 
but  has  the  head  and  horns  of  a  sheep,  and  its  flesh 
is  said  to  be  delicious  mutton.  The  Indians  con- 
sider it  more  sweet  and  delicate  than  any  other  kind 
of  venison.  It  abounds  in  the  Rocky  mountains, 
from  the  fiftieth  degree  of  north  latitude,  quite  down 
to  California ;  generally  in  the  highest  regions  capa- 
ble of  vegetation ;  sometimes  it  ventures  into  the 
valleys,  but  on  the  least  alarm,  regains  its  favorite 
cliffs  and  precipices,  where  it  is  perilous,  if  not  im- 
possible for  the  hunter  to  follow.* 

*  Dimensions  of  a  male  of  this  species,  from  the  nose  to  the  base 
of  the  tail,  five  feet ;  length  of  the  tail,  four  inches ;  girth  of  the 
body,  four  feet ;  height,  three  feet  eight  inches ;  the  horn,  three  feet 
six  inches  long ;  one  foot  three  inches  in  circumference  at  base. 


I 


,* 


.■K     ■..   » 


3^' 


^; 


*<:■■, 


fiji^k. 


WJ 


AN   ALARM. 


49 


*f; 


^\  CHAPTER    IV. 

An  alarm — Crow  Indians— their  appearance — mode  of  approach 
— their  vengeful  errand— their  curiosity — Hostility  between  the 
Crows  and  Blaciifcet — Loving  conduct  of  the  Crows — Lar»^ 
niie's  fork— First  navigation  of  the  Nebraska— Great  elevation 
of  the  country — Rarety  of  the  atmosphere — its  effect  on  the  wood- 
work of  the  waggons- Black  hills — their  v.  Ad.  and  broken  scenery 
— Indian  dogs — Crow  trophies — Sterile  and  dreary  country — 
Banks  of  the  Sweet  Water— Buffalo  hunting— Adventure  of  Tom 
Cain,  the  Irish  cook. 


When  on  the  march,  Captain  Bonneville  always 
sent  some  of  his  best  hunters  in  the  advance  to 
reconnoitre  the  country,  as  well  as  to  look  out  for 
game.  On  the  24th  of  May,  as  the  caravan  was 
slowly  journeying  up  the  banks  of  the  Nebraska, 
the  hunters  came  galloping  back,  waving  their  caps, 
and  giving  the  alarm  cry,  Indians  !  Indians  ! 

The  captain  immediately  ordered  a  halt:  the  hunt- 
ers now  came  up  and  announced  that  a  large  war- 
party  of  Crow  Indians  were  just  above,  on  the  river. 
The  captain  knew  the  character  of  these  savages ; 
one  of  the  most  roving,  warlike,  crafty,  and  pred;i- 
tory  tribes  of  thR  mountains ;  horse-stealers  of  the 
first  order,  and  easily  provoked  to  acts  of  sanguinary 
violence.  Orders  were  accordingly  given  to  prepare 
for  action,  and  every  one  promptly  took  the  post  that 

VOL.  I.  6- 


-V*  * 


i^'. 


J 


50 


APPROACH    OF    CROW    INDIANS. 


^^    ) 


had  been  assigned  him,  in  the  general  order  of  the 
march,  in  all  cases  of  warlike  emergency. 

Every  thing  being  put  in  battle  array,  the  captain 
took  the  lead  of  his  little  band,  and  moved  on  slowly 
and  warily.  In  a  little  while  he  beheld  the  Crow 
warriors  emerging  from  among  the  bluffs.  There 
were  about  sixty  of  them  ;  fine  martial  looking  fel- 
lows, painted  and  arrayed  for  war,  and  mounted  on 
horses  decked  out  with  all  kinds  of  wild  trappings. 
They  came  prancing  along  in  gallant  style,  with 
many  wild  and  dextrous  evolutions,  for  none  can 
surpass  them  in  horsemanship ;  and  their  bright 
colors,  and  flaunting  and  fantastic  embellishments, 
glaring  and  sparkling  in  the  morning  sunshine,  gave 
them  really  a  striking  appearance. 

Their  mode  of  approach,  to  one  not  acquainted 
with  the  tactics  and  ceremonies  of  this  rude  chivalry 
of  the  wilderness,  had  an  air  of  direct  hostility. 
They  came  galloping  forward  in  a  body  as  if  about 
to  make  a  furious  charge,  but,  when  close  at  hand, 
opened  to  the  right  and  left,  and  wheeled  in  wide 
circles  round  the  travellers,  whooping  and  yelling 
hke  maniacs. 

This  done,  their  mock  fury  sank  into  a  calm,  and 
the  chief  approaching  the  captain,  who  had  remained 
warily  drawn  up,  though  informed  of  the  pacific 
nature  of  the  manoeuvre,  extended  to  him  the  hand 
of  friendship.  The  pipe  of  peace  was  smoked,  and 
now  all  was  good  fellowship. 

The  Crows  were  in  pursuit  of  a  band  of  Chey- 
ennes,  who  had  attacked  their  village  in  the  night, 
and  killed  one  of  their  people.     They  had  already 


I 


»>  S^ 


f\ 


1 1 


f^ 


THEIR    CURIOSITY. 


61 


been  five  and  twenty  days  on  the  track  of  the  ma- 
rauders, and  were  determined  not  to  return  home 
until  they  had  sated  their  revenge. 

A  few  days  previously,  some  of  their  scouts,  who 
were  ranging  the  country  at  a  distance  from  the 
main  body,  had  discovered  the  party  of  Captain 
Bonneville.  They  had  dogged  it  for  a  time  in 
secret,  astonished  at  the  long  train  of  waggons  and 
oxen,  and  especially  struck  with  the  sight  of  a  cow 
and  calf,  quietly  following  the  caravan ;  supposing 
them  to  be  some  kind  of  tame  buffalo.  Having 
satisfied  their  curiosity,  they  had  carried  back  to 
their  chief  intelligence  of  all  that  they  had  seen. 
He  had,  in  consequence,  diverged  from  his  pursuit 
of  vengeance  to  behold  the  wonders  described  to 
him.  "Now  that  we  have  met  you,"  said  he  to 
Captain  Bonneville,  "  and  have  seen  these  marvels 
with  our  own  eyes,  our  hearts  are  glad."  In  fact, 
nothing  could  exceed  the  curiosity  evinced  by  these 
people  as  to  the  objects  before  them.  Waggons 
had  never  been  seen  by  them  before,  and  they  ex- 
amined them  with  the  greatest  minuteness  ;  but  the 
calf  was  the  peculiar  object  of  their  admiration. 
They  watched  it  with  intense  interest  as  it  licked 
the  hands  accustomed  to  feed  it,  and  were  struck 
with  the  mild  expression  of  its  countenance,  and  its 
perfect  docility. 

After  much  sage  consultation,  they  at  length  de- 
termined that  it  must  be  the  "  great  medicine"  of 
the  white  party :  an  application  given  by  the  Indians 
to  any  thing  of  supernatural  and  mysterious  power, 
that  is  guarded  as  a  talisman.     They  were  com- 


■'^^• 


M 


m^ 


■61'h'ji 


II 


It 

i 


M 


•^^^ 


62 


%-r 


% 


LOVING   CONDUCT  OP  THE    CROWS. 


''». 
%. 


pletely  thrown  out  in  their  conjecture,  however,  by 
an  offer  of  the  white  men  to  exchange  the  calf  for  a 
horse  ;  their  estimation  of  the  great  medicine  sunk 
in  an  instant,  and  they  declined  the  bargain. 

At  the  request  of  the  Crow  chieftain  the  two  par- 
ties encamped  together,  and  passed  the  residue  of 
the  day  in  company.  The  captain  was  well  pleased 
with  every  opportunity  to  gain  a  knowledge  of  the 
"  unsophisticated  sons  of  nature,"  that  had  so  long 
been  objects  of  his  poetic  speculations  ;  and  indeed 
this  wild,  horse-stealing  tribe,  is  one  of  the  most 
notorious  of  the  mountains.  The  chief,  of  course, 
had  his  scalps  to  show  and  his  battles  to  recount. 
The  Blackfoot  is  the  hereditary  enemy  of  the  Crow, 
towards  whom  hostility  is  like  a  cherished  principle 
of  religion ;  for  every  tribe,  beside  its  casual  antago- 
nists, has  some  enduring  foe  with  whom  there  can 
be  no  permanent  reconciliation.  The  Crows  and 
Blackfeet,  upon  the  whole,  are  enemies  worthy  of 
each  other,  being  rogues  and  ruffians  of  the  first 
water.  As  their  predatory  excursions  extend  over 
the  same  regions,  they  often  come  in  contact  with 
each  other,  and  these  casual  conflicts  serve  to  keep 
their  wits  awake  and  their  passions  alive. 

The  present  party  of  Crows,  however,  evinced 
nothing  of  the  invidious  character  for  which  they 
are  renowned.  During  the  day  and  night  that  they 
were  encamped  in  company  with  the  travellers,  their 
conduct  was  friendly  in  the  extreme.  They  were, 
in  fact,  quite  irksome  in  their  attentions,  and  had  a 
caressing  manner  at  times  quite  importunate.  It 
was  not  until  after  separation  on   the  following 


i 


*^, 


^ 


weyer,  by 
calf  for  a 
cine  sunk 
n. 

•  two  par- 

esidue  of 

II  pleased 

ge  of  the 

d  so  long 

id  indeed 

the  most 

f  course, 

recount. 

lie  Crow, 

principle 

.1  antago- 

there  can 

[Ows  and 

orthy  of 

the  first 

!nd  over 

act  with 

to  keep 

evinced 
ch  they 
lat  they 
rs,  their 
y  were, 
I  had  a 
te.  It 
lowing 


f  i 


m 


I 


*W 


Laramie's  fork. 


m 


morning,  that  the  captain  and  his  men  asccitiiiued 
the  secret  of  all  this  loving  kindness.  In  the  course 
of  their  fraternal  caresses,  the  Crows  had  contrived 
to  empty  the  pockets  of  their  white  brothers;  to 
abstract  the  very  buttons  from  their  coats,  and,  above 
all,  to  make  free  with  their  hunting  knives. 

By  equal  altitudes  of  the  sun,  taken  at  this  last 
encampment,  Captain  Bonneville  ascertained  his 
latitude  to  be  41°  47'  north.  The  thermometer, 
at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  stood  at  fifty-nine 
degrees;  at  two  o'clock,  P.  M.,  at  ninety-two 
degrees ;  and  at  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  at 
seventy  degrees. 

The  Black  hills,  or  mountains,  now  began  to  be 
seen  at  a  distance,  printing  the  ho'>-izon  with  their 
rugged  and  broken  outlines ;  and  threatening  to  op- 
pose a  difficult  barrier  in  the  way  of  the  travellers. 

On  the  26th  of  May,  the  travellers  encamped 
at  Laramie's  fork,  a  clear  and  beautiful  stream, 
rising  in  the  west-southwest,  maintaining  an  average 
width  of  twenty  yards,  and  winding  through  broad 
meadows  abounding  in  currants  and  gooseberries, 
and  adorned  with  groves  and  clumps  of  trees. 

By  an  observation  of  Jupiter's  satellites,  with  a 
Dolland  reflecting  telescope.  Captain  Bonneville 
ascertained  the  longitude  to  be  102°  57'  west  of 
Greenwich. 

We  will  here  step  ahead  of  our  narrative  to  ob- 
serve, that  about  three  years  after  the  time  of  which 
we  are  treating,  Mr.  Robert  Campbell,  formerly  of 
the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Company,  descended  the 
Platte  from  this  fork,  in  skin  canoes,  thus  proving, 


%  n 


■W" 


■'^^^- 


■^8^ 


r 


:li 


.  >; 


♦-^^ 


54 


DRYNESS   OF  THE   ATMOSPHERE. 


V^ 


what  had  always  been  discredited,  that  the  river  was 
navigable.  About  the  same  time,  he  built  a  fort  or 
trading  post  at  Laramie's  fork,  which  he  named  Fort 
William,  after  his  friend  and  partner,  Mr.  William 
Sublette.  Since  that  time,  the  Platte  has  become 
a  highway  for  the  fur  traders. 

For  some  days  past.  Captain  Bonneville  had  been 
made  sensible  of  the  great  elevation  of  country  into 
which  he  was  gradually  ascending,  by  the  effect  of 
the  dryness  and  rarefaction  of  the  atmosphere  upon 
his  waggons.  The  wood- work  shrunk ;  the  paint 
boxes  of  the  wheels  were  continually  working  out, 
and  it  was  necessary  to  support  the  spokes  by  stout 
props  to  prevent  their  falling  asunder.  T! '  travel- 
lers were  now  entering  one  of  those  great  steppes  of 
the  far  west,  where  the  prevalent  aridity  of  the  atmo- 
sphere renders  the  country  unfit  for  cultivation.  In 
these  regions,  there  is  a  fresh  sweet  growth  of  grass 
in  the  spring,  but  it  is  scanty  and  short,  and  parches 
up  in  the  course  of  the  summer,  so  that  there  is  none 
for  the  hunters  to  set  fire  to  in  the  autumn.  It  is  a 
common  observation,  that  "above  the  forks  of  the 
Platte  the  grass  does  not  burn."  All  attempts  at 
agriculture  and  gardening  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Fort  William,  have  been  attended  with  very  little 
success.  The  grain  and  vegetables  raised  there 
have  been  scanty  in  quantity  and  poor  in  quality. 
The  great  elevation  of  these  plains,  and  the  dryness 
of  the  atmosphere,  will  tend  to  retain  these  immense 
regions  in  a  state  of  pristine  wildness. 

In  the  course  of  a  day  or  two  more,  the  travellers 
entered  that  wild  and  broken  tract  of  the  Crow 


4 


\ 


■•^  ^ 


1^ 


•^». 


INDIAN    DOGS. 


55 


jllers 
/row 


i 

I: 


country  called  the  Black  hills,  and  here  their  jour- 
ney became  toilsome  in  the  extreme.  Rugged 
steeps  and  deep  ravines  incessantly  obstructed  their 
progress,  so  that  a  great  part  of  the  day  was  spent 
in  the  painful  toil  of  digging  through  banks,  filling 
up  ravines,  forcing  the  waggons  up  the  most  forbid- 
ding ascents,  or  swinging  them  with  ropes  down  the 
face  of  dangerous  precipices.  The  shoes  of  their 
horses  were  worn  out,  and  their  feet  injured  by  the 
rugged  and  stony  roads.  The  travellers  were  an- 
noyed also  by  frequent  but  brief  storms,  which 
would  come  hurrying  over  the  hills,  or  through  the 
mountain  defiles,  rage  with  great  fury  for  a  short 
time,  and  then  pass  off,  leaving  every  thing  calm 
and  serene  again. 

For  several  nights  the  camp  had  been  infested  by 
vagabond  Indian  dogs,  prowling  about  in  quest  of 
food.  They  were  about  the  size  of  a  large  pointer ; 
with  ears  short  and  erect,  and  a  long  bushy  tail — alto- 
gether, they  bore  a  striking  resemblance  to  a  wolf. 
These  skulking  visiters  would  keep  about  the  pur- 
lieus of  the  camn  until  daylight ;  when,  on  the  first 
stir  of  life  among  the  sleepers,  they  would  scamper 
off  until  they  reached  some  rising  ground,  where 
they  would  take  their  seats,  and  keep  a  sharp  and 
hungry  watch  upon  every  movement.  The  moment 
the  travellers  were  fairly  on  the  march,  and  the  camp 
was  abandoned,  these  starveling  hangers-on  would 
hasten  to  the  deserted  fires,  to  seize  upon  the  half- 
picked  bones,  the  offals  and  garbage  that  lay  about; 
and,  having  made  a  hasty  meal,  with  many  a  snap 
and  snarl  and  growl,  would  follow  leisurely  on  the 


'"^1 


U 


86 


CROW  TROPHIES. 


trail  of  the  caravan.  Many  attempts  were  made  to 
coax  or  catch  them,  but  in  vain.  Their  quick  and 
suspicious  eyes  caught  the  slightest  sinister  move- 
ment, and  they  turned  and  scampered  oflf.  At  length 
one  was  taken.  He  was  terribly  alarmed,  and 
crouched  and  trembled  as  if  expecting  instant  death. 
Soothed,  however,  by  caresses,  he  began  after  a 
time  to  gather  confidence  and  wag  his  tail,  and  at 
length  was  brought  to  follow  close  at  the  heels  of 
his  captors,  still,  however,  darting  around  furtive 
and  suspicious  glances,  and  evincing  a  disposition 
to  scamper  off  upon  the  least  alarm. 

On  the  first  of  July,  the  band  of  Crow  warriors 
again  crossed  their  path.  They  came  in  vaunting 
and  vainglorious  style ;  displaying  five  Cheyenne 
scalps,  the  trophies  of  their  vengeance.  They  were 
now  bound  homewards,  to  appease  the  manes  of 
their  comrade  by  these  proofs  that  his  death  had 
been  revenged,  and  intended  to  have  scalp-dances 
and  other  triumphant  rejoicings.  Captain  Bonne- 
ville and  his  men,  however,  were  by  no  means  dis- 
posed to  renew  their  confiding  intimacy  with  these 
crafty  savages,  and  above  all,  took  care  to  avoid 
their  pilfering  caresses.  They  remarked  one  pre- 
caution of  the  Crows  with  respect  to  their  horses ; 
to  protect  their  hoofs  from  the  sharp  and  jagged 
rocks  among  which  they  had  to  pass,  they  had  cov- 
ered them  with  shoes  constructed  of  buffalo  hide. 

The  route  of  the  travellers  lay  generally  along 
the  course  of  the  Nebraska  or  Platte,  but  occasion- 
ally, where  steep  promontories  advanced  to  the  mar- 
gin of  the  stream,  they  were  obliged  to  make  inland 


'i, 


h 


■k 


STERILE   AND   DREARY   COUNTRY. 


m 


i  made  to 
[uick  and 
er  move- 
A.t  length 
tied,  and 
nt  death. 
I  after  a 
1,  and  at 
heels  of 
1  furtive 
^position 

warriors 

vaunting 

heyenne 

ley  were 

lanes  of 

Jath  had 

)-dances 

Bonne- 

ans  dis- 

these 

avoid 

ne  pre- 

horses ; 

jagged 

id  cov- 

lide. 

along 
casion- 
e  mar- 
inland 


circuits.  One  of  these  took  them  through  a  bold 
and  stern  country,  bordered  by  a  range  of  low  moun- 
tains, running  east  and  west.  Every  thing  around 
bore  traces  of  some  fearful  convulsion  of  nature  in 
times  long  past.  Hitherto  the  various  strata  of 
rock  had  exhibited  a  gentle  elevation  towards  the 
southwest,  but  here,  every  thing  appeared  to  have 
been  subverted,  and  thrown  out  of  place.  In  many 
places  there  were  heavy  beds  of  white  sandstone 
resting  upon  red.  Immense  strata  jf  rocks  jutted 
up  into  crags  and  cliffs  ;  and  sometimes  formed  per- 
pendicular walls  and  overhanging  precipices.  An 
air  of  sterility  prevailed  over  these  savage  wastes. 
The  valleys  were  destitute  of  herbage,  and  scantily 
clothed  with  a  stunted  species  of  wormwood,  gene- 
rally known  among  traders  and  trappers  by  the 
name  of  sage.  From  an  elevated  point  of  their 
march  through  this  region,  the  travellers  caught  a 
beautiful  view  of  the  Powder  river  mountains  away 
to  the  north,  stretching  along  the  very  verge  of  the 
horizon,  and  seeming,  from  the  snow  with  which 
they  were  mantled,  to  be  a  chain  of  small  white 
clouds,  connecting  sky  and  earth. 

Though  the  thermometer  at  mid-day  ranged  from 
eighty  to  ninety,  and  even  sometimes  rose  to  ninety- 
three  degrees,  yet  occasional  spots  of  snow  were  to 
be  seen  on  the  tops  of  the  low  mountains,  among 
which  the  travellers  were  journeying ;  proofs  of  the 
great  elevation  of  the  whole  region. 

The  Nebraska,  in  its  passage  through  the  Black 
hills,  is  confined  to  a  much  narrower  channel  than 
that  through  which  it  flows  in  the  plains  below ;  but 


■*^. 


i^^ 


i 


'W- 


m 


68 


BANKS    OF    THE    SWEET    WATEK. 


i^ 


it  is  deeper  and  clearer,  and  rushes  with  a  stronger 
current.  The  scenery,  also,  is  more  varied  and 
beautiful.  Sometimes  it  glides  rapidly,  but  smooth- 
ly, through  a  picturesque  valley,  between  wooded 
banks  ;  then,  forcing  its  way  into  the  bosom  of  rug- 
ged motnitains,  it  rushes  impetuously  through  nar- 
row defiles,  roaring  and  foaming  down  rocks  and 
rapids,  until  it  is  again  soothed  to  rest  in  some 
peaceful  valley. 

On  the  12th  of  July,  Captain  Bonneville  aban- 
doned the  main  stream  of  the  Nebraska,  which  was 
continually  shouldered  by  rugged  promontories,  and 
making  a  bend  to  the  southwest,  for  a  couple  of 
days,  part  of  the  time  over  plains  of  loose  sand,  en- 
camped on  the  14th,  on  the  banks  of  the  Sweet 
Water,  a  stream  about  twenty  yards  in  breadth, 
and  four  or  five  feet  deep,  flowing  between  low 
banks  over  a  sandy  soil,  and  forming  one  of  the 
forks  or  upper  branches  of  the  Nebraska.  Up  this 
stream  they  now  shaped  their  course  for  several 
successive  days,  tending,  generally,  to  the  west. 
The  soil  was  light  and  sandy ;  the  country  much 
diversified.  Frequently  the  plains  were  studded 
with  isolated  blocks  of  rock,  sometimes  in  the  shape 
of  a  half  globe,  and  from  three  to  four  hundred  feet 
high.  These  singular  masses  had  occasionally  a 
very  imposing,  and  even  sublime  appearance,  rising 
from  the  midst  of  a  savage  and  lonely  landscape. 

As  the  travellers  continued  to  advance,  they  be- 
came more  and  more  sensible  of  the  elevation  of 
the  country.  The  hills  around  were  more  generally 
capped  with  snow.    The  men  complained  of  cramps 


•MKMMMM 


MMW 


*••«» 


TOM    CAIN    THE    COOK. 


59 


and  colics,  sore  lips  and  mouths,  and  violent  hctid- 
aches.  Tiie  wood-work  of  the  waggons  also  shrunk 
so  much,  that  it  was  with  dilficulty  tiie  wheels  were 
kept  from  falling  to  pieces.  The  country  bordering 
upon  the  river  was  frequently  gashed  with  deep 
ravines,  or  traversed  by  high  bluffs,  to  avoid  which, 
the  travellers  were  obliged  to  make  wide  circuits 
through  the  plains.  In  the  course  of  these,  they 
came  upon  immense  herds  of  buflido,  which  kept 
scouring  off  in  the  van,  like  a  retreating  army. 

Among  the  motley  retainers  of  the  camp  was  Tom 
Cain,  a  raw  Irishman,  who  officiated  as  cook,  whose 
various  blunders  and  expedients  in  his  novel  situa- 
tion, and  in  the  wild  scenes  and  wild  kind  of  life 
into  which  he  had  suddenly  been  thrown,  had  made 
him  a  kind  of  butt  or  droll  of  the  camp.  Tom,  how- 
ever, began  to  discover  an  ambition  superior  to  his 
station ;  and  the  conversation  of  the  hunters,  and 
their  stories  of  their  exploits,  inspired  him  with  a 
desire  to  elevate  himself  to  ihe  dignity  of  their  order. 
The  buffalo  in  such  immense  droves  presented  a 
tempting  opportunity  for  making  his  first  essay. 
He  rode,  in  the  line  of  march,  all  prepared  for 
action  :  his  powder  flask  and  shot  pouch  knowingly 
slung  at  the  pommel  of  his  saddle,  to  b?  at  hand  ; 
his  rifle  balanced  on  his  shoulder.  While  in  this 
plight,  a  troop  of  buffalo  came  trotting  by  in  great 
alarm.  In  an  instant,  Tom  sprang  from  his  horse 
and  gave  chase  on  foot.  Finding  they  were  leaving 
him  behind,  he  levelled  his  rifle  and  pulled  trigger. 
His  shot  produced  no  other  effect  than  to  increase 
the  speed  of  the  buffalo,  and  to  frighten  his  own 


m  * 


i! 


1 1 


w^ 


M 


60 


HIS   BUFFALO   HUNT. 


m 


1 1 


H 


horse,  who  took  to  his  heels,  and  scampered  off  with 
all  the  ammunition.  Tom  scampered  after  hira, 
hallooing  with  might  and  main,  and  the  wild  horse 
and  wild  Irishman  soon  disappeared  among  the  ra- 
vines of  the  prairie.  Captain  Bonneville,  who  was 
at  the  head  of  the  line,  and  had  seen  the  transaction 
at  a  distance,  detached  a  party  in  pursuit  of  Tom. 
After  a  long  interval  they  returned,'  leading  the 
frightened  horse  ;  but  though  they  had  scoured  the 
country,  and  lookcil  out  and  shouted  from  every 
height,  they  had  seen  nothing  of  his  rider. 

As  Captain  Bonneville  knew  Tom's  utter  awk- 
wardness and  inexperience,  and  the  dangers  of  a 
bewildered  Irishman  in  the  midst  of  a  prairie,  he 
halted  and  encamped  at  an  eaiiy  hour,  that  there 
might  be  a  regular  hunt  for  him  in  the  morning. 

At  early  dawn  on  the  following  day  scouts  were 
sent  off  in  every  direction,  while  the  main  body, 
after  breakfast,  proceeded  slowly  on  its  course.  It 
was  not  until  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  that  the 
hunters  returned  with  honest  Tom  mounted  beliind 
one  of  them.  They  had  found  him  in  a  complete 
state  of  perplexity  and  amazement.  His  appear- 
ance caused  shouts  of  merriment  in  the  camp, — but 
Tom  for  once  could  not  join  in  the  rnirth  raised  at 
his  expense :  he  was  completely  chapfallen,  and 
apparently  cured  of  the  hunting  mania  for  the  rest 
of  his  life. 


•'  i"! 


k 


f% 


""^i^" 


MAGNIFICENT   SCENERY. 


61 


CHAPTER    V. 

Magnificent  scenery — Wind  river  mountains — Treasury  of  waters 
— A  stray  horse — An  Indian  trail — Trout  stn  ams — The  Great 
Green  river  valley — An  alarm — A  band  of  trappers — Fontenello, 
his  information — Sufferings  of  thirst — F  icampmenton  the  Seeds- 
ke-dee — Strategy  of  rival  traders — Fortification  of  the  camp — 
The  Blackfeet — Banditti  of  the  mountains — their  character  and 
habits. 


It  was  on  the  20th  of  July,  that  Captain  Bonne- 
ville first  came  in  sight  of  the  grand  region  of  his 
hopes  and  anticipations,  the  Rocky  mountains.  He 
had  been  making  a  bend  to  the  south,  to  avoid  some 
obstacles  along  the  river,  and  had  attained  a  high, 
rocky  vidge,  when  a  magnificent  prospect  burst 
upon  his  sight.  To  the  west,  rose  the  Wind  river 
mountains,  with  their  bleached  and  snowy  summits 
towering  into  the  clouds.  These  stretched  far  to 
the  north-northwest,  until  they  melted  away  into 
what  appeared  to  be  faint  clouds,  but  which  the  ex- 
perienced eyes  of  the  veteran  hunters  of  the  party 
recognised  for  the  rugged  mountains  of  the  Yellow- 
stone ;  at  the  feet  of  which,  extended  the  wild  Crow 
country :  a  perilous,  though  profitable  region  for  the 
trapper. 

To  the  southwest,  the  eye  ranged  over  an  im- 
mense extent  of  wilderness,  with  what  appeared  to 

VOL.   I.  6 


n 


\  I  • 


--^ 


.** 


iW 


» 


il 


i 


\c 


I  / 


II 


H 


1 'i , 

M  ^ 

Ml 

69 


WIND    RIVER    MOUNTAINS. 


be  a  snowy  vapor  resting  upon  its  horizon.  This, 
however,  was  pointed  out  as  another  branch  of  the 
Great  Chippewyan,  or  Rocky  ciiain;  being  the  Eu- 
taw  mountains,  at  whose  basis,  the  wandering  tribe 
of  hunters  of  the  same  name  pitcli  their  tents. 

We  can  imagine  the  enthusiasm  of  the  worthy 
captain,  wlien  he  belield  the  vast  and  mountainous 
scene  of  his  adventurous  enterprise  thus  suddenly 
unveiled  before  him.  We  can  imagine  with  what 
feelings  of  awe  and  admiration  he  must  have  con- 
templated the  Wind  river  sierra,  or  bed  of  moun- 
tiiins  ;  that  great  fountain  head,  from  whose  springs, 
and  lakes,  and  melted  snows,  some  of  those  mighty 
rivers  lake  tlieir  rise,  which  wander  over  hundreds 
of  miles  of  varied  country  and  clime,  and  find  their 
way  to  the  opposite  waves  of  the  Atlantic  and  the 
Pacific. 

The  Wind  river  mountains  are,  in  fact,  among 
the  most  remarkable  of  the  whole  Rocky  chain ; 
and  would  appear  to  be  among  the  loftiest.  They 
form,  as  it  were,  a  great  bed  of  mountains,  about 
eighty  miles  in  length,  and  from  twenty  to  thirty  in 
breadth  ;  with  rugged  peaks,  covered  with  eternal 
snows,  and  deep,  narrow  valleys,  full  of  springs,  and 
brooks,  and  rock-bound  lakes.  From  this  great 
treasury  of  waters,  issue  forth  limpid  streams,  that, 
aiigmenting  as  they  descend,  become  main  tributa- 
ries of  the  Missouri,  on  the  one  side,  and  the  Co- 
lumbia, on  the  other ;  and  give  rise  to  the  Seeds- 
ke-dee  Agie,  or  Green  river,  the  great  Colorado  of 
the  west,  that  empties  its  current  into  the  Gulf  of 
California. 


^-  ' 'W'U' 


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find  their 

f\ 

and  the 

L,  among 
y  chain ; 

1 

.     They 

m 

IS,  about 

.1 

thirty  in 

I 

eternal 

I 

ngs,  and 

1. 

s   great 

B 

lis,  that. 

B 

tributa- 

'  nlr 

he  Co- 

'M 

8eeds- 

'9 

•ado  of        ^        I 

9 

Julf  of 

9 

1 

i 

^H      m 

9      ^' 

J9r 


A    STRAY    HORSE. 


63 


The  Wind  river  mountains  are  notorious  in  hunt- 
ers' and  trappers'  stories  :  their  rugged  defiles,  and 
the  rough  tracts  about  their  neighborhood,  having 
been  lurking  places  for  the  predatory  hordes  of  the 
mountains,  and  scenes  of  rough  encounter  with 
Crows  and  Blackfcet.  It  was  to  the  west  of  these 
mountains,  in  the  valley  of  the  Seeds-ke-dcc  Agie, 
or  Green  river,  that  Captain  Bonneville  intended  to 
make  a  halt,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  repose  to  his 
people  and  his  horses,  after  their  weary  journeying; 
and  of  collecting  information  as  to  his  future  course. 
This  Green  river  valley,  and  its  immediate  neigh- 
borhood, as  we  have  already  observed,  formed  the 
main  point  of  rendezvous,  for  the  present  year,  of 
the  rival  fur  companies,  and  the  motley  populace, 
civilized  and  savage,  connected  with  them.  Seve- 
ral days  of  rugged  travel,  however,  yet  remained  for 
the  captain  and  his  men,  before  they  should  encamp 
in  this  desired  resting  place. 

On  the  21st  of  July,  as  they  were  pursuing  their 
course  through  one  of  the  meadows  of  the  Sweet 
Water,  they  beheld  a  horse  grazing  at  a  little  dis- 
tance. He  showed  no  alarm  at  their  approach,  but 
suffered  himself  quietly  to  be  taken,  evincing  a  per- 
fect state  of  tameness.  The  scouts  of  the  party 
were  instantly  on  the  look  out  for  the  owners  of  this 
animal ;  lest  some  dangerous  band  of  savages  might 
be  lurking  in  the  vicinity.  After  a  narrow  search, 
they  discovered  the  trail  of  an  Indian  party,  which 
had  evidently  passed  through  that  neighborhood  but 
recently.  The  horse  was  accordingly  taken  pos- 
session of,  as  an  estray ;  but  a  more  vigilant  watch 


'^ 


W'<^ 


> 


M 


■':?*» 


64 


TROUT    STREAMS. 


than  usual  was  kept  round  the  camp  at  nights,  lest 
his  former  owners  should  be  upon  the  prowl. 

The  travellers  had  now  attained  so  high  an  ele- 
vation, that  on  the  23d  of  July,  at  daybreak,  there 
was  considerable  ice  in  the  water-buckets,  and  the 
thermometer  stood  at  twenty-two  degrees.  The 
rarety  of  the  atmosphere  continued  to  affect  the 
wood-work  of  the  waggons,  and  the  wheels  were 
incessantly  falling  to  pieces.  A  remedy  was  at 
length  devised.  The  tire  of  each  wheel  was  taken 
off ;  a  band  of  wood  was  nailed  round  the  exterior 
of  the  felloes,  the  lire  was  then  made  red  hot,  re- 
placed round  the  wheel,  and  suddenly  cooled  with 
water.  By  this  means,  the  whole  was  bound  to- 
gether with  great  compactness. 

The  extremo  elevation  of  these  great  steppes, 
which  range  along  the  feet  of  the  Rocky  mountains, 
take  away  from  the  seeming  height  of  their  peaks, 
which  yield  to  few  in  the  known  world  in  point  of 
altitude  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

On  the  24th,  the  travellers  took  final  leave  of  the 
Sweet  Water,  and,  keeping  westwardly,  over  a  low 
and  very  rocky  ridge,  one  of  the  most  southern 
spurs  of  the  Wind  river  mountains,  they  encamped, 
after  a  march  of  seven  hours  and  a  half,  on  the 
banks  of  a  small  clear  stream,  running  to  the  south, 
in  which  they  caught  a  number  of  fine  trout. 

The  sight  of  these  fish  was  hailed  with  pleasure, 
as  a  sign  that  they  had  reached  the  waters  which 
flow  into  the  Pacific ;  for  it  is  only  on  the  western 
streams  of  the  Rocky  mountains  that  trout  are  to 
be  taken.     The  stream  on  which  they  had  thus 


# 


■^■ 


m 


'■^ 


x:  *.  ■ 


,j,.i^»^^,»a»aL    *!f-,",j.KMm.\iK'.a.x ~  'Mit 


ights,  lest 

h  an  ele- 
sak,  there 
,  and  the 
Bs.  The 
iffect  the 
els  were 
'  was  at 
^as  taken 
exterior 
[  hot,  re- 
)led  with 
ound  to- 

steppes, 
ountains, 
r  peaks, 
point  of 

e  of  the 
ir  a  low 
louthern 
;amped, 
on  the 
south, 

easure, 
which 

v^estem 
are  to 

i  thus 


I 


s 


4^ 


GREEN   RIVEft  VALLEY. 


65 


encamped,  proved,  in  effect,  to  be  tributary  to  the 
Seeds-ke-dee  Agie,  or  Green  river,  into  which  it 
flowed,  at  some  distance  to  the  south. 

Captain  Bonneville  now  considerf^d  himself  as 
having  fairly  passed  the  crest  of  the  Rocky  moun- 
tains ;  and  felt  some  degree  of  exultation  in  being 
the  first  individual  that  had  crossed,  north  of  the 
settled  provinces  of  Mexico,  from  the  waters  of  the 
Atlantic  to  those  of  the  Pacific,  with  waggons. 
Mr.  William  Sublette,  the  enterprising  leader  of  the 
Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Company,  had,  two  or  three 
years  previously,  reached  the  valley  of  the  Wind 
river,  which  lies  on  the  northeast  of  the  mountains ; 
but  had  proceeded  with  them  no  further. 

A  vast  valley  now  spread  itself  before  the  travel- 
lers, bounded  on  one  side,  by  the  Wind  river  moun- 
tains, and  to  the  west,  by  a  long  range  of  high  hills. 
This,  Captain  Bonneville  was  assured  by  a  veteran 
hunter  in  his  company,  was  the  great  valley  of  the 
Seeds-ke-dee  ;  and  the  same  informant  would  fain 
have  persuaded  him,  that  a  small  stream,  three  feet 
deep,  which  he  came  to  on  the  25th,  was  that  river. 
The  captain  was  convinced,  however,  that  stream 
was  too  insignificant  to  drain  that  wide  valley,  and 
the  adjacent  mountains :  he  encamped,  therefore,  at 
an  early  hour,  on  its  borders,  that  he  might  take  the 
whole  of  the  next  day  to  reach  the  main  river;  which 
he  presumed  to  flow  between  him  and  the  distant 
range  of  western  hills. 

«  On  the  26th  of  July,  he  commenced  his  march  at 
an  early  hour,  making  directly  across  the  valley,  to- 
wards the  hills  in  the  west ;  proceeding  at  as  brisk 

6* 


^■jt: 


# 


« 


.fl 


m 


■^s 


# 


f1 


66 


A    BAND   OF    TRAPPERS. 


a  rate  as  the  jaded  condition  of  his  horses  would 
permit.  About  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  a 
great  cloud  of  dust  was  descried  in  the  rear,  ad- 
vancing directly  on  the  trail  of  the  party.  The  alarm 
was  given  ;  they  all  came  to  a  halt,  and  held  a  coun- 
cil of  war.  Some  conjectured  that  the  band  of 
Indians,  whose  trail  they  had  discovered  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  stray  horse,  had  been  lying  in 
wait  for  them,  in  some  secret  fastness  of  the  moun- 
tains ;  and  were  about  to  attack  them  on  the  open 
plain,  where  they  would  have  no  shelter.  Prepara- 
tions were  immediately  made  for  defence  ;  and  a 
scouting  party  sent  off  to  reconnoitre.  They  soon 
came  galloping  back,  making  signals  that  all  was 
well.  The  cloud  of  dust  was  made  by  a  band  of 
fifty  or  sixty  mounted  trappers,  belonging  to  the 
American  Fur  Company,  who  soon  came  up,  lead- 
ing their  pack-horses.  They  were  headed  by  Mr. 
Fonlenelle,  an  experienced  leader,  or  "  partisan,"  as 
a  chief  of  a  party  is  called,  in  the  technical  language 
of  tlie  trappers. 

Mr.  Fontenelle  informed  Captain  Bonneville,  that 
he  was  on  his  way  from  the  company's  trading  post, 
on  the  Yellowstone,  to  the  yearly  rendezvous,  with 
reinforcements  and  supplies  for  their  hunting  and 
trading  parties  beyond  the  mountains ;  and  that  he 
expeclcd  to  meet,  by  appointment,  with  a  band  of 
free  trappers  in  that  very  neighborhood.  He  had 
fallen  upon  the  trail  of  Captain  Bonneville's  party, 
just  after  leaving  the  Nebraska ;  and,  finding  that 
they  had  frightened  off  all  the  game,  had  been 
obliged  to  push  on,  by  forced  marches,  to  avoid 


•  ••««*tel»ihsr»»  W!  ■'^-■*="***"f" 


FONTENELLE — HIS    INFORMATION. 


67 


iia 


,  that 

post, 

with 

and 

lat  he 

d  of 

had 

party, 

that 

been 

avoid 


famine  :  both  men  and  horses  were,  therefore,  much 
travel-worn  ;  but  this  was  no  place  to  halt ;  the 
plain  before  them,  he  said,  was  destitute  of  grass 
and  water,  neither  of  which  would  be  met  with 
short  of  the  Green  river,  which  was  yet  at  a  con- 
siderable distance.  He  hoped,  he  added,  as  his 
party  were  all  on  horseback,  to  reach  the  river,  with 
hard  travelling,  by  night  fall :  but  he  doubted  the 
possibility  of  Captain  Bonneville's  arrival  there  with 
his  waggons,  before  the  day  following.  Having 
imparted  this  information,  he  pushed  forward  with 
all  speed. 

Captain  Bonneville  followed  on  as  fast  as  circum- 
stances would  permit.  The  ground  was  firm  and 
gravelly  ;  but  the  horses  were  too  much  fatigued  to 
move  rapidly.  After  a  long  and  harassing  day's 
march,  without  pausing  for  a  noontide  meal,  they 
were  compelled,  at  nine  o'clo^::  at  night,  to  encamp 
in  an  open  plain,  destitute  of  water  or  pasturage. 
On  the  following  morning,  the  horses  were  turned 
loose  at  the  peep  of  day ;  to  slake  their  thirst,  if 
possible,  from  the  dew  collected  on  the  sparse  grass, 
here  and  there  springing  up  among  dry  sand  banks. 
The  soil  of  a  great  part  of  this  Green  river  valley, 
is  a  v'hitish  clay,  into  which  the  rain  cannot  pene- 
trate, but  which  dries  and  cracks  with  the  sun.  In 
some  places  it  produces  a  salt  weed,  and  grass 
along  the  margins  of  the  streams ;  but  the  wider 
expanses  of  it,  are  desolate  and  barren.  It  was  not 
until  noon,  that  Captain  Bonneville  reached  the 
banks  of  the  Sceds-ke-dee,  or  Colorado  of  the 
west ;  in  the  meantime,  the  sufferings  of  both  men 


'■w 


* 


i- 


^       31 


r 


i 


h 


^ 
V 


J 


« 


If ! 


Yh 


i 


68 


STRATEGY    OF    A   TRADER. 


and  horses  had  been  excessive,  and  it  was  with 
almost  frantic  eag6rness  that  they  hurried  to  allay 
their  burning  thirst,  in  the  limpid  current  of  the 
river. 

Fontenelle  and  his  party  had  not  fared  much  bet- 
ter :  the  chief  part  had  managed  to  reach  the  river 
by  nightfall,  but  were  nearly  knocked  up  by  the 
exertion ;  the  horses  of  others  sank  under  them, 
and  they  were  obliged  to  pass  the  night  upon  the 
road. 

On  the  following  morning,  July  27th,  Fontenelle 
moved  his  camp  across  the  river ;  while  Captain 
Bonneville  proceeded  some  little  distance  below, 
where  there  was  a  small  but  fresh  meadow,  yielding 
abundant  pasturage.  Here  the  poor  jaded  horses 
were  turned  out  to  graze,  and  take  their  rest :  the 
weary  journey  up  the  mountains  had  worn  them 
down  in  flesh  and  spirit ;  but  this  last  march  across 
the  thirsty  plain,  had  nearly  finished  them. 

The  captain  had  here  the  first  taste  of  the  boasted 
strategy  of  the  fur  trade.  During  his  brief,  but 
social  encampment,  in  company  with  Fontenelle, 
that  experienced  trapper  had  managed  to  win  over 
a  number  of  Delaware  Indians,  whom  the  captain 
had  brought  with  him,  by  offering  them  four  hun- 
dred dollars  each,  for  the  ensuing  autumnal  hunt. 
The  captain  was  somewhat  astonished,  when  he  saw 
these  hunters,  on  whose  services  he  had  calculated 
securely,  suddenly  pack  up  their  traps,  and  go  over 
to  the  rival  camp.  That  he  might  in  some  measure, 
however,  be  even  with  his  competitor,  he  despatched 
two  scouts  to  look  out  for  the  band  of  free  trappers, 


# 


^ 


%■ 


tl 


It 


■  ?;^i!T"" 


^: 


-»-., 


^1 


BLACKFEET    INDIANS. 


69 


who  were  to  meet  Fontenelle  in  this  neighborhood, 
and  to  endeavor  to  bring  them  to  his  camp. 

As  it  would  be  necessary  t .  remain  some  time 
in  this  neighborhood,  that  both  men  and  horses 
might  repose,  and  recruit  their  strength ;  and  as  it 
was  a  region  full  of  danger,  Captain  Bonneville  pro- 
ceeded to  fortify  his  camp  with  breastworks  of  logs 
and  pickets. 

These  precautions  were,  at  that  time,  peculiarly 
necessary,  from  the  bands  of  Blackfeet  Indians 
which  were  roving  about  the  neighborhood.  These 
savages  are  the  most  dangerous  banditti  of  the  moun- 
tains, and  the  inveterate  foe  of  the  trappers.  They 
are  Ishmaelites  of  the  first  order;  always  with  weapon 
in  hand,  ready  for  action.  The  young  braves  of  the 
tribe,  who  are  destitute  of  property,  go  to  war  for 
booty ;  to  gain  horses,  and  acquire  the  means  of  set- 
ting up  a  lodge,  supporting  a  family,  and  entitling 
themselves  to  a  seat  in  the  public  councils.  The 
veteran  warriors  fight  merely  for  the  love  of  the 
thing,  and  the  consequence  which  success  gives 
them  among  their  people. 

They  are  capital  horsemen,  and  are  generally 
well  mounted  on  short,  stout  horses,  similar  to  the 
prairie  ponies,  to  be  met  with  at  St.  Louis.  When 
on  a  war  party,  however,  they  go  on  foot,  to  enable 
them  to  skulk  through  the  country  with  greater 
secrecy ;  to  keep  in  thickets  and  ravines,  and  use 
more  adroit  subterfuges  and  stratagems.  Their 
mode  of  warfare  is  entirely  by  ambush,  surprise, 
and  sudden  assaults  in  the  night  time.  If  they 
succeed  in  causing  a  panic,  they  dash  forward  with 


M 


M^ 


'•t^ 


.*? 


33^*^%^ 


70 


BLACKFEET    INDIANS. 


i  ' 


headlong  fury :  if  the  enemy  is  on  the  alert,  and 
shows  no  signs  of  fear,  they  become  wary  and 
deliberate  in  their  movements. 

Some  of  them  are  armed  in  the  primitive  style, 
with  bows  and  arrows  ;  the  greater  part  have  Ameri- 
can fusees,  made  after  the  fashion  of  those  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company.  These  they  procure  at 
the  trading  post  of  the  American  Fur  Company,  on 
Marias  river,  where  they  traffic  their  peltries  for 
arms,  amniuni»icn.  clothing,  and  trinkets.  They 
are  extreme' y  i ond  of  spiritous  liquors  and  tobacco  ; 
for  which  liu:  •:  :<it  'S  they  are  ready  to  exchange,  not 
merv?!}  liieir  guus  and  horses,  but  even  their  wives 
and  '.iau^jiterv.  As  they  are  a  treacherous  race, 
and  Have  rhcnshed  a  lurking  hostility  to  the  whites, 
ever  jince  one  oi  their  tribe  was  killed  by  Mr.  Lewis, 
the  associate  of  General  Clarke,  in  his  exploring 
expedition  across  the  Rocky  mountains,  the  Ameri- 
can Fur  Company  is  obliged  constantly  to  keep  at 
that  post  a  garrison  of  sixty  or  seventy  men. 

Under  the  general  name  of  Blackfeet,  are  com- 
prehended several  tribes  :  such  as  tlie  Surcies,  the 
Peagans,  the  Blood  Indians,  and  the  Gros  Ventres 
of  the  Prairies :  wlio  roam  about  the  southern 
branches  of  the  Yellowstone  and  Missouri  rivers, 
together  with  some  other  tribes  further  north. 

The  bands  infesting  the  Wind  nvfT  mountains, 
and  the  country  adjacent,  at  the  time  of  which  we 
are  treating,  were  Gros  Ventres  tf  the  Prairies, 
which  are  not  lO  be  confounded  with  Gros  Ventres 
of  the  Missouri,  who  keep  about  the  lower  part  of 
that  river,  and  are  friendly  to  the  white  men. 


L 


r 


ift 


i 

MP     * 


m 


ccm- 

,  the 

entres 

>.hern 

ivers. 


J 


BLACKFEET    INDIANS. 


71 


This  hostile  band  keeps  about  the  head  waters  of 
the  Missouri,  and  numbers  about  nine  hundred  fight- 
ing men.  Once  in  the  course  of  two  or  three  years 
they  abandon  their  usual  abodes,  and  make  a  visit 
to  the  Arapahoes  of  the  Arkansas.  Their  route 
lies  either  through  the  Crow  country,  and  the 
Black  hills,  or  through  the  lands  of  the  Nez  Perc6s, 
Flatheads,  Bannacks,  and  Shoshonies.  As  they 
enjoy  their  favorite  state  of  hostility  with  all  these 
tribes,  their  expeditions  are  prone  to  be  conducted 
in  the  most  lawless  and  predatory  style ;  nor  do 
they  hesitate  to  extend  their  maraudings  to  any 
party  of  white  men  they  meet  with ;  following  their 
trails  ;  hovering  about  their  camps ;  waylaying  and 
dogging  the  caravans  of  the  free  traders,  and  mur- 
dering the  solitary  trapper.  The  consequences  are, 
frequent  and  desperate  fights  between  them  and  the 
*'  mountaineers,"  in  the  wild  defiles  and  fastnesses 
of  the  Rocky  mountains. 

The  band  in  question  was,  at  this  time,  on  their 
way  homeward  from  one  of  their  customary  visits 
to  the  Arapahoes  ;  and  in  the  ensuing  chapter,  we 
shall  treat  of  some  bloody  encounters  between  them 
and  the  trappers,  which  had  taken  place  just  be- 
fore the  arrival  of  Captain  Bonneville  among  the 
mountains. 


m 


t 


^- 


S       ■! 


fines. 


* 


'":'fei;»j>' 


,   J*-.- 


'i' 


:.     *>- 


n 


SUBLETTE  S    BAND. 


S- 


i 


^   f 


y 


-f. 


k 


1 


ii  t 


CHAPTER    VI. 

Sublette  and  his  band — Robert  Campbell — Captain  Wyeth  and  a 
band  of  "  down-eaolera" — Yankee  enterprise — Fitzpatrick — hia 
adventure  witii  the  Blackfcet — A  rendezvous  of  mountaineers — 
Tlie  battle  of  Pierre's  Hole — An  Indian  ambuscade — Sublette's 
return. 

Leaving  Captain  Bonneville  and  his  band  ensconced 
within  their  fortified  camp  in  the  Green  river  valley, 
we  shall  step  back  and  accompany  a  party  of  the 
Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Company  in  its  progress, 
with  supplies  from  St.  Louis,  to  the  annual  rendez 
vous  at  Pierre's  Hole.  This  party  consisted  of 
sixty  men,  well  mounted,  and  conducting  a  hne  of 
pack-horses.  They  were  commanded  by  Captain 
William  Sublette,  a  partner  in  the  company,  and 
one  of  the  most  active,  intrepid,  and  renowned  lead- 
ers in  this  half  military  kind  of  service.  He  was 
accompanied  by  his  associate  in  business,  and  tried 
companion  in  danger,  Mr.  Robert  Campbell,  one  of 
the  pioneers  of  the  trade  beyond  the  mountains,  who 
had  commanded  trapping  parties  there  in  times  of 
the  greatest  peril. 

As  these  worthy  compeers  were  on  their  route  to 
the  frontier,  they  fell  in  with  another  expedition, 
likewise  on  its  way  to  the  mountains.  This  was  a 
party  of  regular  "  down-easters,"  that  is  to  say,  peo- 


» 


#• 


y^ 


*%, 


■# 


^.^ 


••KV^-^'0        ■• 


■*•_ 


DOWN-EASTERS— YANKEE   ENTERPRISE.         73 


pie  of  New  Eng.and,  who,  with  the  all  penetrating, 
and  all  pervading  spirit  of  their  race,  were  now 
pushing  their  way  into  a  new  field  of  enterprise, 
with  which  they  were  totally  unacquainted.  The 
party  had  been  fitted  out,  and  was  maintained  and 
commanded  by  Captain  Nathaniel  J.  Wyeth,  of 
Boston.  This  gentleman  had  conceived  an  idea, 
that  a  profitable  fishery  for  salmon  might  be  estab- 
lished on  the  Columbia  river,  and  connected  with 
the  fur  trade.  He  had,  accordingly,  invested  capi 
tal  in  goods,  calculated,  as  he  supposed,  for  the 
Indian  trade,  and  had  enlisted  a  number  of  eastern 
men  in  his  employ,  who  had  never  been  in  the  far 
west,  nor  knew  any  thing  of  the  wilderness.  With 
these,  he  was  bravely  steering  his  way  across  the 
continent,  undismayed  by  danger,  difficulty,  or  dis- 
tance, in  the  same  way  that  a  New  England  coaster 
and  his  neighbors  will  coolly  launch  forth  on  a  voy- 
age to  the  Black  sea,  or  a  whaling  cruise  to  the 
Pacific. 

With  all  their  national  aptitude  at  expedient  and 
resource,  Captain  Wyeth  and  his  men  felt  them- 
selves completely  at  a  loss  when  they  reached  the 
frontier,  and  found  that  the  wilderness  required  ex- 
perience and  habitudes,  of  which  they  were  totally 
deficient.  Not  one  of  the  party,  except  the  leader, 
had  ever  seen  an  Indian  or  handled  a  rifle;  they 
were  without  guide  or  interpreter,  and  totally  un- 
acquainted with  "  wood  craft,"  and  the  modes  of 
making  their  way  among  savage  hordes,  and  sub- 
sisting themselves,  during  long  marches  over  wild 
mountains  and  barren  plains. 

VOL.  I.  7 


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74 


ADVENTURE    OF    FITZPATRICK. 


In  this  predicament,  Captain  Sublette  found  them, 
in  a  mariner  becalmed,  or  rather  run  aground,  at  the 
little  frontier  town  of  Independence,  in  Missouri,  and 
kindly  took  them  in  tow.  The  two  parties  travelled 
amicably  together;  the  frontier  men  of  Sublette's 
party  gave  their  Yankee  comrades  some  lessons  in 
hunting,  and  some  insight  into  the  art  and  mystery 
of  dealing  with  the  Indians,  and  they  all  arrived 
without  accident  at  the  upper  branches  of  the  Ne- 
braska or  Platte  river. 

Til  the  course  of  their  inarch,  Mr.  Fitzpatrick,  the 
partner  of  the  company  who  was  resident  at  that 
time  beyond  the  mountains,  came  down  from  the 
rendezvous  at  Pierre's  Hole  to  meet  them,  and 
hurry  them  forward.  He  travelled  in  company 
with  them  until  they  reached  the  Sweet  Water; 
then  taking  a  couple  of  horses,  one  for  the  saddle, 
and  the  other  as  a  packhorsc,  he  started  off  express 
for  Pierre's  Hole,  to  make  arrangements  against 
their  arrival,  that  he  iiiight  commence  his  hunting 
campaign  before  the  rival  company. 

Fitzpatrick  was  a  hardy  aud  experienced  moun- 
taineer, and  knew  all  the  passes  ana  defiles.  As  he 
was  purtiuing  his  lonely  course  up  the  Green  river 
valley,  he  descried  several  horsemen  at  a  distance, 
'and  came  to  a  halt  to  reconnoitre.  He  supposed 
them  to  be  some  detachment  from  the  rendezvous, 
or  a  party  of  friendly  Indians.  They  perceived 
him,  and  setting  up  the  war-whoop,  da.-hed  for- 
ward at  full  speed :  he  saw  at  once  his  mistake 
and  his  peril — they  were  Blackfeet,  Springing 
upon  his  fleetest  horse,  and  abandoning  the  other  to 


.-^s 


'..*' 


"*ss« 


*, 


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f-,iSU' 


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**.•. 


AN    ATTACK    IN    THE    NIOHT. 


76 


\ 


.*?> 


-4  •* 


the  enemy,  he  made  for  the  mountains,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  escaping  tip  one  of  the  most  dangerous 
defiles,  liere  he  c  )iu:ealc  1  himself  for  a  time,  until 
ho  thought  the  Indians  had  gone  off,  when  he  re- 
turned into  the  valley ,  Tie  was  again  pursued,  lost 
his  remaining  horse,  and  orily  escaped  by  scram- 
bling up  among  the  cliffs.  For  several  days  he 
remained  lurking  among  rocks  and  precipices,  and 
almost  famished,  having  but  one  remaining  charge 
ui  his  rifle,  which  he  kept  for  self-defence. 

In  the  meantime,  Sublette  and  Campbell,  with 
their  fellov  traveller,  Captain  Wycth,  had  pursued 
thrir  marcli  unmolested,  and  arrived  in  tli<'  Green 
river  valley,  totally  unconscious  that  there  n;io  any 
lurking  enemy  at  hand.  They  had  encam  led  one 
night  on  the  banks  of  a  small  stream,  wli  h  came 
down  from  the  Wind  river  mountains,  when  bout 
midnight,  a  band  of  Indians  suddenly  burst  upon 
their  camp,  with  horrible  yells  and  whoops,  and  a 
discharge  of  guns  and  arrows.  Happily  no  other 
harm  was  done  than  wounding  one  mule,  and  caus- 
ing several  horses  to  break  loose  from  their  pickets. 
The  camp  was  instantly  in  arms ;  but  the  Indians 
ret  ated  with  yells  of  exultation,  carrying  off  seve- 
ral of  the  horses,  under  covert  of  the  night. 

This  was  somewhat  of  a  disagreeable  foretaste 
of  mountain  life  to  some  of  Captain  Wyeth's  band, 
accust  >med  only  to  the  regular  and  peaceful  life  of 
New  fjngland ;  nor  was  it  altogether  to  the  taste  of 
Captain  Sublette's  men,  who  were  chiefly  Creoles 
and  townsmen  from  St.  Louis.  They  continued 
their  march  the  next  morning,  keeping  scouts  ahead 


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IMAGE  EVALUATION 
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Photographic 

Sciaices 

Corporation 


33  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


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PIERRE  S   HOLE. 


and  upon  their  flanks,  and  arrived  without  further 
molestition  at  Pierre's  Hole. 

The  first  inquiry  of  Captain  Sublette,  on  reach- 
ing the  rendezvous,  was  for  Fitzpatrick.  Tc  his 
great  concern  he  found  he  had  not  arrived,  nor  had 
any  intelligence  been  received  concerning  him. 
Great  uneasiness  was  now  entertained,  lest  that 
gentleman  should  have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the 
Blackfeet,  who  had  made  the  midnight  attack  upon 
the  camp.  It  was  a  matter  of  general  joy,  there- 
fore, when  he  made  his  appearance,  conducted  by 
two  half-breed  Iroquois  hunters.  He  had  lurked 
for  several  days  among  the  mountsiins,  until  almost 
starved ;  at  length  he  escaped  the  vigilance  of  his 
enemies  in  the  night,  and  was  so  fortunate  as  to 
meet  the  two  Iroquois  hunters,  who,  being  on  horse- 
back, conveyed  him  without  further  difficulty  to  the 
rendezvous.  He  arrived  there  so  emaciated,  that 
he  could  scarcely  be  recognised. 

The  valley  called  Pierre's  Hole,  is  about  thirty 
miles  in  length  and  fifteen  in  width,  bounded  to  the 
west  and  south  by  low  and  broken  ridges,  and  over- 
looked to  the  east  by  three  lofty  mountains,  called 
the  three  Tetons,  which  domineer  as  landmarks 

.  pver  a  vast  extent  of  country. 

A  fine  stream,  fed  by  rivulets  and  mountain 

/^iljHrings,  pours  through  the  valley  towards  the  north, 
dividing  it  into  nearly  equal  parts.  The  meadows 
on  its  borders  are  broad  and  extensive,  covered  with 
willow  and  cotton-wood  trees,  so  closely  interlocked 
and  matted  together,  as  to  be  nearly  impassable. 
In  this  valley  was  congregated  the  motley  popu- 


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A  MOUNTAIN   RENDEZVOUS. 


77 


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lace  connected  with  the  fur  trade.    Here  the  two 
i       rival  companies  had  their  encampments,  with  their 
retainers  of  all  kinds:  traders,  trappers,  hunters,  and 
half-breeds,  assembled  from  all  quarters,  awaiting 
their  yearly  supplies,  and  their  orders  to  start  off  in 
new  directions.     Here,  also,  the  savage  tribes  con- 
nected with  the  trade,  the  Nez  Perces  or  Chopun- 
nish  Indians,  and  Flatheads,  had  pitched  their  lodges 
>,«       beside  the  streams,  and  with  their  squaws,  awaited 
the  distribution  of  goods  and  finery.     There  was, 
i  moreover,  a  band   of  fifteen   free  trappers,  com- 

manded by  a  gallant  leader  from  Arkansas,  named 
..if  Sinclair,  who  held  their  encampment  a  little  apart 
from  the  rest.  Such  was  the  wild  and  heteroge- 
neous assemblage,  amounting  to  several  hundred 
men,  civilized  and  savage,  distributed  in  tents  and 
lodges  in  the  several  camps. 

The  arrival  of  Captain  Sublette  with  supplies, 
put  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Company  in  full  ac- 
tivity.    The  wares  and  merchandise  were  quickly 
opened,  and  as  quickly  disposed  of  to  trappers  and 
•  Indians ;   the   usual  excitement  and  revelry  took 

place,  after  which,  all  hands  began  to  disperse  to 
•^  "^  their  several  destinations. 

On  the  17th  of  July,  a  small  brigade  of  fourte^i 
trappers,  led  by  Milton  Sublette,  brother  of  the^ 
captain,  set  out  with  the  intention  of  proceeding  to 
the  southwest.  They  were  accompanied  by  Sin- 
clair and  his  fifteen  free  trappers ;  Captain  Wyeth, 
^^  ^  also,  and  his  New-England  band  of  beaver  hunters 
^  ,^^*  and  salmon  fishers,  now  dwindled  down  to  eleven, 
took  this  opportunity  to  prosecute  their  cruise  in 

7* 


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I  I".  ■■ 


'."■'.fci.* 


78 


1 1 


INCOVNTBA  WItH   THI   BLACKFEBT. 


^<e  'wilderness,  in  company  with  such  experienced 
pilots.  On  the  first  day,  they  proceeded  about 
eight  miles  to  the  southeast,  and  encamped  for  the 
night,  still  in  die  valley  of  Pierre's  Hole.  On  the 
following  morning,  just  as  they  were  raising  their 
camp,  Uiey  observed  a  long  line  of  people  pouiing 
down  a  defile  of  the  mountains.  They  at  first  sup- 
posed them  to  be  Fontenelle  and  his  party,  whose 
arrival  had  been  daily  expected.  Captain  Wyeth, 
however,  reconnoitred  them  with  a  spyglass,  and 
soon  perceived  they  were  Indians.  They  were 
divided  into  two  parties,  forming,  in  the  whole, 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  persons,  men,  women, 
and  children.  Some  were  on  horseback,  fantastically 
painted  -ahd  arrayed,  with  scarlet  blankets  fluttering 
m  the  wind.  The  greater  part,  however,  were  on 
foot.  They  had  perceived  the  trappers  befcnre  they 
were  themselves  discovered,  and  came  down  yell- 
ing and  whooping  into  the  plain.  On  nearer  ap- 
proach, they  wer«  ascertained  to  be  Blaokfeet. 

One  of  the  trappers  of  Sublette's  brigade,  a  half- 
breed,  named  Antoine  Godin,  now  mounted  his 
horse,  and  rode  forth  as  if  to  hold  a  conference. 
He  was  the  son  of  an  Iroquois  hunter,  who  had 
sen  cruelly  murdered  by  the  Blackfeet  at  a  small 
'^stream  below  the  mountains,  which  still  bears  his 
name.  In  company  with  Antoine  rode  forth  a  Flat- 
head Indian,  whose  once  powerful  tribe  had  been 
completely  broken  down  in  their  wars  with  the 
Blackfeet.  Both  of  them,  therefore,  cherished  the 
most  vengeful  hostility  against  these  marauders  of 
the  mountains.     The  Blackfeet  came  to  a  halt. 


if. 


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AN  IN9UN  POUT. 


79 


One  of  the  chiefr  advanced  singly  and  unarmed, 
bearing  the  pipe  of  pettce.  This  overture  was  cer- 
tainly pacific ;  but  Antoine  and  the  Flathead  were 
predisposed  to  hostility,  and  pretended  to  consider 
it  a  treacherous  movement.  ^     , 

"Is  your  piece  charged  ?"  said  Antoine  to  his  red 
companion. 
.     "It  is." 

^    "  Then  cock  it,  and  follow  roe." 
'     They  met  the  Blackfoot  chief  half  way,  who  ex- 
tended his  hand  in  friendship.    Antoine  grasped  it. 

"Fire!"  cried  he. 

The  Flathead  levelled  his  piece,  and  brought  the 
Blackfoot  to  the  ground.  Antoine  snatched  off  his 
scarlet  blanket,  which  was  richly  ornamented,  and 
galloped  off  with  it  as  a  trophy  to  the  camp,  the 
bullets  of  the  enemy  whistling  after  him.  -The 
Indians  immediately  threw  themselves  into  the 
edge  of  a  swamp,  among  willows  and  cotton-wood 
trees,  interwoven. with  vines.  Here  they  began  to 
fortify  themselves;  the  womeii  digging  a  trench, 
and  throwing  up  a  breastwork  of  logs  and  branches, 
deep  hid  in  the  bosom  of  the  wood,  while  the  war- 
riors skirmished  at  the  edge  to  keep  the  trapperi 
at  bay. 

The  latter  took  their  station  in  a  ravine  in  froiil^' 
from  whence  they  kept  up  a  scattering  fire.  As  to 
^Captain  Wyeth,  and  his  little  band  of  "down- 
easters,"  they  were  perfectly  astounded  by  this 
second  specimen  of  life  in  the  wilderness ;  the  men 
being,  especially,  unused  to  bush-fighting  and  the  use 
of  the  rifle,  ^ere  at  a  loss  how  to  proceed.    Captain 


>^i;'- 


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M 


'^', 


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60 


AN   ALA^M — ^A  TURN   OUT. 


Wyeth,  however,  acted  as  a  skilful  commander.  - 
He  got  all  his  horses  into  caiilp  and  secured  them ; 
then,  making  a  breastwork  of  his  packs  of  goods, 
he  charged  his  men  to  remain  in  garrison,  and  not^ 
to  stir  out  of  their  fort.  For  himself,  he  mingled 
with  the  other  leaders,  determined  to  take  his  share 
in  the  conflict. 

'  In  the  meantime,  an  express  had  been  sent  off  to 
the  rendezvous  for  reinforcements.  Captain  Su-' 
blette,  and  his  associate,  Campbell,  were  at  their 
camp  when  the  express  came  galloping  across 
the  plain,  waving  his  cap,  and  giving  the  alarm; 
"Blackfeet!  Blackfeet!  a  fight  in  the  upper  part 
of  the  valley ! — to  arms !  to  arms  !" 

The  alarm  was  passed  from  camp  to  camp.  It 
was-  a  common  cause.  Every  one  turned  out  with 
horse  and  rifle.  The  Nez  Percys  and  Fls^eads 
joined.  As  fast  ar)  horseman  could  arm  and  mount 
he  galloped  off;  the  valley  was  soon  alive  with 
white  men  and  red  men  scouring  at  full  speed.        ^«^ 

Sublette  ordered  his  men  to  keep  to  the  camp, 
being  recruits  from  St.  Louis,  unused  to  Indiaa^ 
warfare.  He  and  his  friend  Campbell  prepared  for 
action.  Throwing  off  their  coats,  rolling  up  their 
sleeves,  and  arming  themselves  with  pistols  and 
rifles,  they  mounted  their  horses  and  dashed  forward 
among  the  first.  As  they  rode  along,  they  made 
their  wills  in  soldierlike  style ;  each  stating  how  his 
effects  should  be  disposed  of  in  case  of  his  death, 
and  appointing  the  other  his  executor. 

The  Blackfeet  warriors  had  supposed  the  brigade 
of  Milton  Sublette  all  the  foe  they  had  to  deal  with, 


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8KIRMISHINQ8. 


81 


and  were  astonished  to  behold  the  whole  valley 
suddenly  swarming  with  horsemen,  galloping  to  the 
field  of  action.  The|^  withdrew  into  their  fort, 
which  was  completely  hid  from  sight  in  the  dark 
and  tangled  wood.  Most  of  their  women  and  chil- 
dren had  retreated  to  the  mountains.  The  trappers 
now  sallied  forth  and  approached  the  swamp,  firing 
into  the  thickets  at  random ;  the  Blackfeet  had  a 
better  sight  at  their  adversaries,  who  were  in  the 
open  field,  and  a  half-breed  was  wounded  in  the 
shoulder. 

When  Captain  Sublette  arrived,  he  urged  to  pene- 
trate the  8wamp  and  storm  the  fort,  but  all  hung 
back  in  awe  of  the  dismal  hoirors  of  the  place,  and 
the  danger  of  attacking  such  desperadoes  in  their 
savage  den.  The  very  Indian  allies,  though  accus- 
tomed to  bush-fighting,  regarded  it  as  almost  impen- 
etrable, and*  full  of  frightful  danger.  Sublette  was 
not  to  be  turned  from  his  purpose,  but  offered  to 
lead  the  way  into  the  swamp.  Campbell  stepped 
forward  to  accompany  him.  Before  entering  the 
perilous  wood,  Sublette  took  his  brothers  aside,  and 
told  them  that  in  case  he  fell,  Campbell,  who  knew 
his  will,  was  to  be  his  executor.  This  done,  he 
grasped  his  rifle  and  pushed  into  the  thickets,  fol- 
lowed by  Campbell.  Sinclair,  die  partisan  from 
Arkansas,  was  at  the  edge  of  the  wood  with  lus 
brother  and  a  few  of  his  men.  Excited  by  the  gal- 
lant example  of  the  two  friends,  he  pressed  forward 
to  share  their  dangers. 

The  swamp  was  produced  by  the  labors  of  the 
beaver,  which,  by  damming  up  a  stream,  had  in- 


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BUSH-FIORTINO. 


^.'ft' 


undated  a  portion  of  the  valley.  The  place  was  all 
oyergrown  with  woods  and  thickets,  so  closely  mat- 
ted and  entangled,  that  it  was  impossible  to  see  ten 
paces  ahead,  and  the  three  associates  in  peril  had 
to  crawl  along,  one  after  another,  making  their  way 
by  putting  the  branches  and  vines  aside ;  but  doing 
it  with  caution,  lest  they  should  attract  the  eye  of 
some  lurking  marksman.  They  took  the  lead  by 
'  turns,  each  advancing  about  twenty  yards  al  a  time, 
and  now  and  then  hallooing  to  their  men  to  follow. 
Some  of  the  latter  gradually  entered  the  swamp, 
and  followed  a  little  distance  in  their  rear. 

They  had  now  reached  a  more  open  part  of  the 
wood,  and  had  glimpses  of  the  rude  fortress  from 
'between  the  trees.  It  was  a  mere  breastwork,  as 
'  we  have  said,  of  logs  and  branches,  with  blankets, 
buffalo  robes,  and  the  leathern  covers  of  lodges, 
extended  round  the  top  as  a  screen.  The  move- 
ments of  the  leaders,  as  they  groped  their  way,  had 
been  descried  by  the  sharp-sighted  enemy.  As 
Sinclair,  who  was  in  the  advance,  was  putting  some 
branches  aside,  he  was  shot  through  the  body.  He 
fell  on  the  spot.  "  Take  me  to  my  brother,"  said  he 
to  Campbell.  The  latter  gave  him  in  charge  to  some 
of  the  men,  who  conveyed  him  cut  of  the  swamp. 
Sublette  now  took  the  advance.  As  he  was  re- 
connoitring the  fort,  he  perceived  an  Indian  peeping 
through  an  aperture.  In  an  instant  his  rifle  was 
levelled  and  discharged,  and  the  ball  struck  the 
savage  in  the  eye.  While  he  was  reloading,  he 
called  to  Campbell,  and  pointed  out  to  him  the 
hole ;  "  Watch  that  place,"  said  he,  "  and  you  will 


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all 

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lat- 

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♦       ■Wi        * 


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'■-s? 


CR088   FIRING.  99 

soon  have  a  fair  chance  for  a  shot."  Scarce  had 
he  uttered  the  words,  when  a  ball  struck  him  in  the 
shoulder,  and  almost  wheeled  him  round.  His  first 
thought  was  to  take  hold  of  his  arm  with  his  other 
hand,  and  move  it  up  and  down.  He  ascertained, 
to  his  satisfaction,  that  the  bone  was  not  broken. 
The  next  moment  he  was  so  faint  that  he  could  not 
stand.  Campbell  took  him  in  his  arms  and  carried 
him  out  of  the  thicket.  The  same  shot  that  struck 
Sublette,  wounded  another  man  in  the  head. 

A  brisk  fire  was  now  opened  by  the  mountaineers 
from  the  wood,  answered  occasionally  from  the  fort. 
Unluckily,  the  trappers  and  their  allies,  in  search- 
ing for  the  fort,  had  got  scattered,  so  that  Captain 
Wyeth,  and  a  number  of  Nez  Perc6s,  approached 
the  fort  on  the  northwest  side,  while  others  did  the 
same  on  the  opposite  quarter.  A  cross  fire  thus 
took  place,  which  occasionally  did  mischief  to 
friends  as  well  as  foes.  An  Indian  was  shot  down, 
close  to  Captain  Wyeth,  by  a  ball  which,  he  was 
convinced,  had  been  sped  from  the  rifle  of  a  trapper 
on  the  other  side  of  the  fort. 

The  number  of  whites  and  their  Indian  allies,  had 
by  this  time  so  much  increased  by  arrivals  from 
the  rendezvous,  that  the  Blackfeet  were  completely 
overmatched.  They  kept  doggedly  in  their  fort,;j. 
however,  making  no  offer  of  surrender.  An  occa- 
sional firing  into  the  breastwork  was  kept  up  during 
the  day.  Now  and  then,  one  of  the  Indian  allies, 
in  bravado,  would  rush  up  to  the  fort,  fire  over  the 
ramparts,  tear  off  a  buffalo  robe  or  a  scarlet  blanket, 
and  return  with  it  in  triumph  to  his  comrades.   Most 


TtW*- 


■Je        ,■ 


'!Sf' 


# 


I 


m 


M 


» 


^ 


i 


^ 


84 


AN  INdUK  ttlNACB. 


of  the  savage  garrison  that  fell,  however,  were  killed 
in  the  first  pi|xt  of  the  attack. 

At  one  time  it  was  resolved  to  set  fire  to  the  fort; 
and  the  squaws  belonging  to  the  allies,  were  em- 
ployed to  collect  combustibles.  This,  however,  was 
abandoned;  the  Nez  Percys  being  unwilling  to 
destroy  the  robes  and  blankets,  and  other  spoils  of 
the  enemy,  which  they  felt  sure  would  fall  into  their 
hands. 

The  Indians,  when  fighting,  are  prone  to  taunt 
and  revile  each  other.  During  one  of  the  pauses  of 
the  battle,  the  voice  of  the  Blackfeet  chief  was  heard. 

"  So  long,"  said  he,  "  as  we  had  powder  and  ball, 
we  fought  you  in  the  open  field  :  when  those  were 
spent,  we  retreated  here  to  die  with  our  women  and 
children.  You  may  burn  us  in  our  fort ;  but,  stay 
by  our  ashes,  and  you  who  are  so  hungry  for  fight- 
ing, will  soon  have  enough.  There  are  four  hun- 
dred lodges  of  our  brethren  at  hand.  They  will 
soon  be  here — their  arms  are  strong — their  hearts 
are  big — they  will  avenge  us  !" 

This  speech  was  translated  two  or  three  times 
by  Nez  Perc6  and  Creole  interpreters.  By  the 
time  it  was  rendered  into  English,  the  chief  was 
made  to  say,  that  four  hundred  lodges  of  his  tribe 
were  attacking  the  encampment  at  the  other  end  of 
the  valley.  Every  one  now  was  for  hurrying  to 
the  defence  of  the  rendezvous.  A  party  was  left 
to  keep  watch  upon  the  fort ;  the  rest  galloped  off 
to  the  camp.  As  night  came  on,  the  trappers  drew 
out  of  the  swamp,  and  remained  about  the  skirts  of 
the  wood.    By  morning,  their  companions  returned 


fe 


P    M 


'*» 


,-,,«.^, 


'*</, 


$■ 


WRrj^ 


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t 


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f-^. 


« 


:v 


KILLED  iJfD  WOUMDKD. 


85 


from  the  rendezvous,  with  the  report  that  all  was 
safe.  As  the  day  opened,  they  ventured  within  the 
swamp  and  approached  the  fort.  All  was  silent. 
They  advanced  up  to  it  without  opposition.  They 
entered :  it  had  been  abandoned  in  the  night,  and 
the  Blackfeet  had  effected  their  retreat,  carrying  off 
their  wounded  on  litters  made  of  branches,  leaving 
bloody  traces  on  the  herbage.  The  bodies  of  ten 
Indians  were  found  within  the  fort ;  among  them 
the  one  shot  in  the  eye  by  Sublette.  The  Black- 
feet  afterwards  reported  that  they  had  lost  twenty- 
six  warriors  in  this  battle.  Thirty-two  horses  were 
likewise  found  killed ;  among  them  were  some  of 
those  recently  carried  off  from  Sublette's  partv,  in 
the  night ;  which  showed  that  these  were  the  very 
savages  that  had  attacked  him.  They  proved  to  be 
an  advance  party  of  the  main  body  of  Blackfeet; 
which  had  been  upon  the  trail  of  Sublette's  party. 
Five  white  men  and  one  half-breed  were  killed,  and 
several  wounded.  Seven  of  the  Nez  Percys  were 
also  killed,  and  six  wounded.  They  had  an  old 
chief,  who  was  reputed  as  invulnerable.  In  the 
course  of  the  action  he  was  hit  by  a  spent  ball,  and 
threw  up  blood ;  but  his  skin  was  unbroken.  His 
people  were  now  fully  convinced  that  he  was  proof 
against  powder  and  ball. 

A  striking  circumstance  is  related  as  having  oc- 
curred, the  morning  after  the  battle.  As  some  of 
the  trappers  and  their  Indian  allies  were  approach- 
ing the  fort,  through  the  woods,  they  beheld  an  In- 
dian woman,  of  noble  form  and  features,  leaning 

against  a  tree.    Their  surprise  at  her  lingering  here 
VOL.  I.  8 


#t 


■n^: 


#•■ 


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■%^ 


^.EuL 


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ft 
% 


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( 


,' 


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86 


FAITlirVL  WIPB. 


^^. 


alone,  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  her  enemies,  was 
dispelled,  when  they  saw  the  corpse  of  a  warrior 
at  her  feet.  Either  she  was  so  lost  in  grief,  as 
not  to  perceive  their  approach ;  or  a  proud  spirit 
kept  her  silent  and  motionless.  The  Indians  sat  up 
a.  yell,  on  discovering  her,  and  before  the  trappers 
could  interfere,  her  mangled  body  fell  upon  the 
corpse  which  she  had  refused  to  abandon.  We 
have  heard  this  anecdote  discredited  by  one  of  the 
leaders  who  had  been  in  the  battle:  but  the  fact 
may  have  taken  place  without  his  seeing  it,  and 
been  concealed  from  him.  It  is  an  instance  of  fe- 
male devotion,  even  to  the  death,  which  we  are  well 
disposed  to  believe  and  to  record. 

After  the  battle,  the  brigade  of  Milton  Sublette, 
together  with  the  free  trappers,  and  Captain  Wyeth's 
New-England  band,  remained  some  days  at  the 
rendezvous,  to  see  if  the  main  body  of  Blackfeet 
intended  to  make  an  attack;  nothing  of  the  kind 
occurring,  they  once  more  put  themselves  in  motion, 
and  proceeded  on  their  route  towards  the  south- 
west. 

Captain  Sublette  having  distributed  his  supplies, 
had  intended  to  set  off  on  his  return  to  St.  Louis, 
taking  with  him  the  peltries  collected  from  the  trap- 
pers and  Indians^  His  wound,  however,  obliged 
him  to  postpone  his  departure.  Several  who  were 
to  have  accompanied  him,  became  impatient  of  ihiar 
delay.  Among  these  was  a  young  Bostonian,  Mr. 
Joseph  More,  one  of  the  followers  of  Captain  Wyeth, 
who  had  seen  enough  of  mountain  life  and  savage 
warfare,  and  was  eager  to  return  to  the  abodes  of 


m. 


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AN,  AMBUSH. 


87 


.^.» 


=^. 


'•*^ 

■'■^/W; 

'-■0^^. 


»>■ 


civilization.    He  and  six  others,  among  whom  were  Ji|| 
a  Mr.  Foy,  of  Mississippi,  Mr.  Alfred  K.  Stephens, fP^. 
of  St.  Louis,  and  two  grandsons  of  the  celebrated 
Daniel  Boon,  set  out  together,  in  advance  of  Su- 
blette's party,  thinking  they  would  make  their  own 
way  through  the  mountains. 

It  was  just  five  days  after  the  battle  of  the  swamp, 
that  these  seven  companions  were  making  their  way 
through  Jackson's  Hole,  a  valley  not  far  from  the 
three  Tetons,  when,  as  they  were  descending  a  hill, 
a  party  of  Blackfeet  that  lay  in  ambush,  started  up 
with  terrific  yells.  The  horse  of  the  young  Bos- 
tonian,  who  was  in  front,  wheeled  round  with  af- 
fright, and  threw  his  unskilful  rider.  The  young 
man  scrambled  up  the  side  of  the  hill,  but,  unac- 
customed to  such  wild  scenes,  lost  his  presence  of 
mind,  and  stood,  as  if  paralyzed,  on  the  edge  of  a 
^  bank,  until  the  Blackfeet  came  up,  and  slew  him  on 
the  spot.  His  comrades  had  fied  on  the  first  alarm ; 
but  two  of  them,  Foy  and  Stephens,  seeing  his  dan- 
ger, paused  when  they  had  got  half  way  up  the  hill, 
turned  back,  dismounted,  and  hastened  to  his  assist- 
ance. Foy  was  instantly  killed.  Stephens  was 
severely  wounded,  but  escaped,  to  die  five  days 
afterwards.  The  survivors  returned  to  the  camp 
of  Captain  Sublette,  bringing  tidings  of  this  new 
disaster.  That  hardy  leader,  as  soon  as  he  could 
bear  the  journey,  set  out  on  his  return  to  St.  Louis, 
accompanied  by  Campbell.  As  they  had  a  number 
of  pack  horses  richly  laden  with  peltries  to  convey, 
they  chose  a  different  route  through  the  mountains, 
out  of  the  way,  as  they  hoped,  of  the  lurking  bands 


*  I 


4"' 


w 


i^ 


i'i 


^r» 


*%t 


*.l^ 


•'■■.*«"; 


«^ 


SUBLETTE  8   CARAVAN. 


i||  of  Blackfeet.  They  succeeded  in  making  the  fron- 
tier in  safety.  We  remember  to  have  seen  them 
'with  their  band,  about  two  or  three  months  after- 
wards, passing  through  a  skirt  of  woodland  in  the 
upper  part  of  Missouri.  Their  long  caravan  stretched 
in  single  file  for  nearly  half  a  mile.  Sublette  still 
wore  his  arm  in  a  sling.  The  mountaineers  in  their 
rude  hunting  dresses,  armed  with  rifles,  and  roughly 
mounted,  and  leading  their  pack  horses  down  a  hill 
of  the  forest,  looked  like  banditti  returning  with 
.-.^  plunder.  On  the  top  of  some  of  the  packs  were 
^  perched  several  half-breed  children,  perfect  little 
imps,  with  wild  black  eyes  glaring  from  among  elf 
locks.  These,  I  was  told,  were  children  of  the 
trappers :  pledges  of  love  from  their  squaw  spouses 
in  the  wilderness.  if-  <    m 


:  i 


# 


m 


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% 


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» 


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•    «-■• 


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15 


^■^''  t ' 


\\ 


Hk 


m 


■  ti. 


/     '     I 


RETREAT   OF  THE   BLACKFEET. 


■*• 


*^" 


# 


^ 


t*HW     I 


*«*» 
* 


^• 


1  • 


0 


^-' 


tff^ 


CHAPTER    VII. 


lisS^"' 


F''^ 


Retreat  of  the  Blackfeet— Fontenelle's  camp  in  danger — Captain 
Bonneville  and  the  Blackfeot— Free  trappers — their  character, 
habits,  dress,  equipments,  horses — Game  fellows  of  the  mountains 
— their  visit  to  the  camp — Good  fellowship  and  good  cheer — A 
carouse — A  swagger,  a  brawl,  and  a  reconciliation. 

The  Blackfeet  warriors,  when  they  effected  their 
midnight  retreat  from  their  wild  fastness  in  Pierre's 
Hole,  fell  back  into  the  valley  of  the  Seeds-ke-dee, 
or  Green  river,  where  they  joined  the  main  body  of 
their  band.  The  whole  force  amounted  to  several 
hundred  fighting  men,  gloomy  and  exasperated  by 
their  late  disaster.  They  had  with  them  their  wives 
and  children,  which  incapacitated  them  for  any  bold 
and  extensive  enterprise  of  a  warlike  nature ;  but 
when,  in  the  course  of  their  wanderings,  they  came 
in  sight  of  Fonienelle's  encampment,  who  had  moved 
some  distance  up  Green  river  valley,  in  search  of 
the  free  trappers,  they  put  up  tremendous  war-cries 
and  advanced  fiercely,  as  if  to  attack  it.  Second 
thoughts  caused  them  to  moderate  their  fury.  They 
recollected  the  severe  lesson  they  had  just  received, 
and  they  could  not  but  remark  the  strength  of  Fon- 
tenelle's  position ;  who  had  pitched  his  camp  with 
great  judgment. 

A  formal  talk  ensued.    The  Blackfeet  said  no- 


8* 


-:%-; 


■.*> 


Hii 


■•©• 


""*»»'■ 


*■■ 


'«•' 


\ 


^'1 


^ 


l»: 


BLACKFEBT  TIBITERfl#^  «' 


'•*i; 


^i 


r^ 


thing  of  the  late  battle,  of  which  Fontenelle  had  as 
yet  received  no  accounts ;  the  latter,  however,  knew 
the  hostile  and  perfidious  nature  of  these  savages, 
and  took  care  to  inform  them  of  the  encampment 
of  Captain  Bonneville,  that  they  might  know  ther^ 
were  more  white  men  in  the  neighborhood.  • 

The  conference  ended,  Fontenelle  sent  a  Dela- 
ware  Indian  of  his  party  to  conduct  fifteen  of  the 
Blackfeet  to  the  camp  of  Captain  Bonneville. 
There  was  at  that  time  two  Crow  Indians  in  the 
ciiptain's  camp,  who  had  recently  arrived  there. 
They  looked  with  dismay  at  this  deputation  from 
their  implacable  enemies,  and  gave  the  captain  a< 
terrible  character  of  them,  assuring  him  that  the 
best  thing  he  could  possibly  do,  was  to  put  those 
Blackfeet^  deputies  to  death  on  the  spot.  The 
captain,  however,  who  had  heard  nothing  of  the 
conflict  at  Pierre's  Hole,  declined  all  compliance 
with  this  sage  counsel.  He  treated  the  grim  war- 
riors with  his  usual  urbanity.  They  passed  soma 
little  time  at  the  camp ;  saw,  no  doubt,  that  every 
thing  was  conducted  with  military  skill  and  vigil- 
ance ;  and  that  such  an  enemy  was  not  to  be  easily 
surprised,  nor  to  be  molested  with  impunity,  and 
then  departed,  to  report  all  that  they  had  seen  to 
their  comrades. 

The  two  scouts  which  Captain  Bonneville  had 
sent  out  to  seek  for  the  band  of  free  trappers,  ex- 
pected by  Fontenelle,  and  to  invite  them  to  his 
camp,  had  been  successful  in  their  search,  and  on 
the  12th  of  August,  those  worthies  made  their 
appearance.  -^        -  -       >•      '.        '^         * 


.iw 


1/ 


^<, 


'1^- 

»■,% 


M 


''» 


m 


' 


^M 


^:^ 


*" 


•5<*''' 


i««=^ 


^^- 


i    J*' 


4:* 


^. 


r  *■    •;*, 


■?iijr 


HIRID  AMD  FRBS  TRAI^PERS. 


91 


5ir 


f 


V,. 


1 


.T 


'      fv- 


wR  ■ 


•  To  explain  the  meaning  of  the  appellation,  free 
trapper,  it  is  necessary  to  state  the  terms  on  which 
the  men  enlist  in  the  service  of  the  fur  companies. 
Some  have  regular  wages,  and  are  furnished  with 
weapons,  horses,  traps,,  and  other  requisites.  These 
are  under  command,  and  bound  to  do  every  duty  re- 
quired of  them  connected  with  the  service  ;  such  as 
hunting,  trapping,  loading  and  unloading  the  horses, 
mounting  guard ;  and,  in  short,  all  the  drudgery  of 
the  camp.  '  These  are  the  hired  trappers. 

The  free  trappers  are  a  more  independent  class  ; 
and  in  describing  them,  we  shall  do  little  more  than 
transcribe  the  graphic  description  of  them  by  Cap- 
tain Bonneville.  "  They  come  and  go,"  says  he, 
"  when  and  where  they  please  ;  provide  their  own 
horses,  arms,  and  other  equipments ;  trap  and  trade 
on  their  own  account,  and  dispose  of  their  skins 
and  peltries  to  the  highest  bidder..  Sometimes  in  a 
dangerous  hunting  ground,  they  attach  themselves 
to  the  camp  of  some  trader  for  protection.  Here 
they  come  under  some  restrictions;  they  have  to 
conform  to  the  ordinary  rules  for  trapping,  and  to 
submit  to  such  restraints,  and  to  take  part  in  such 
general  duties,  as  are  established  for  the  good  order 
and  safety  of  the  camp.  In  return  for  this  pro- 
tection, and  for  their  camp  keeping,  they  are  bound 
to  dispose  of  all  the  beaver  they  take,  to  the  trader 
who  commands  the  camp,  at  a  certain  rate  per  skin; 
or,  should  they  prefer  seeking  a  market  elsewhere, 
they  are  to  make  him  an  allowance,  of  from  thirty 
to  forty  dollars  for  the  whole  hunt." 

There  is  an  inferior  order,  who,  either  from  pru- 


m* 


# 


W: 


K 

* 


^: 


■^. 


4: 


.m 


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\ 


*  / 


SKIN   TRAPPSBS. 


^ 


♦*»*  * 


-r* 


)^? 


dence  or  poverty)  come  to  these  dangerous  hunting 
grounds  without  horses  or  accoutrements,  and  are  ;  -: 
furnished  by'  the  traders.  These,  like  the  hired 
trappers,  are  bound  to  exert  themselves  to  the 
utmost  in  taking  beavers,  which,  without  skinning, 
they  render  in  at  the  trader's  lodge,  where  a  stipu- 
lated price  for  each  is  placed  to  their  credit.  These, 
though  generally  included  in  the  generic  name  of 
free  trappers,  have  the  more  specific  title  of  skin 
trappers. 

The  wandering  whites  who  mingle  for  any  length 
of  time  with  the  savages,  have  invariably  a  prone- 
ness  to  adopt  savage  habitudes ;  but  none  more  so 
than  the  free  trappers.  It  is  a  matter  of  vanity  and 
ambition  with  them  to  discard  every  thing  that  may 
bear  the  stamp  of  civilized  life,  and  to  adopt  the 
manners,  habits,  dress,  gesture,  and  even  walk  of 
the  Indian.  You  cannot  pay  a  free  trapper  a  greater 
compliment,  than  to  persuade  him  you  have  mis- 
taken him  for  an  Indian  brave ;  and,  in  truth,  the 
counterfeit  is  complete.  His  hair,  suffered  to  attain 
to  a  great  length,  is  carefully  combed  out,  and  either 
left  to  fall  carelessly  over  his  shoulders,  or  plaited 
neatly  and  tied  up  in  otter  skins,  or  parti-colored 
ribands.  A  hunting  shirt  of  ruffled  calico  of  bright 
dyes,  or  of  ornamented  leather,  falls  to  his  knee ;  ^:i 
beloAv  which,  curiously  fashioned  leggins,  orna-  ° 
mented  with  strings,  fringes,  and  a  profusion  of 
hawks'  bells,  reach  to  a  costly  pair  of  moccasins  of 
the  finest  Indian  fabric,  richly  embroidered  with 
beads.  A  blanket  of  scarlet,  or  some  other  bright 
color,  hangs  from  his  shoulders,  and  is  girt  round 


> 

-.'' 


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■.at :  a."  i;. 


mg 
are 
red 
the 
ng, 
pu- 
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I  of 
kin 

gth 
ne- 
so 
and 
lay 
the 
of 
iter 
lis- 
the 
ain 
ler 
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of 
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ht 
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TH£  FRSB  TEAPPEr's  HORSE. 


98 


m. 


t 


^'=-' 


r% 


^ 'I  ills  waist  v'ith  a  red  sash,  in  which  he  bestows  his 
pistols,  knife,  and  the  stem  of  his  Indian  pipe  ;  pre- 

.  parations  either  for  peace  or  war.  His  gun  is 
lavishly  decorated  with  brass  tacks  and  vermilion, 
and  provided  with  a  fringed  cover,  occasionally  of 
buckskin,  ornamented  here  and  there  with  a  feather. 
His  horse,  the  noble  minister  to  the  pride,  pleasure, 
and  profit  of  the  mountaineer,  is  selected  for  his 
speed  and  spirit,  and  prancing  carriage,  and  holds  a 
place  in  his  estimation  second  only  to  himself..  He 
shares  largely  of  his  bounty,  and  of  his  pride  and 
pomp  of  trapping.  He  is  caparisoned  in  the  most 
dashing  and  fantastic  style ;  the  bridles  and  crupper 

-  are  weightily  embossed  with  beads  and  cockades ; 
and  head,  mane,  and  tail,  are  interwoven  with  abun- 
dance of  eagles'  plumes,  which  flutter  in  the  wind. 
To  complete  this  grotesque  equipment,  the  proud 
animal  is  bestreaked  and  bespotted  with  vermilion, 
or  with  vvhite  clay,  whichever  presents  the  most 
glaring  contrast  to  his  real  color. 

Such  is  the  account  given  by  Captain  Bonneville 
of  these  rangers  of  the  wilderness,  and  their  appear- 
ance at  the  camp  was  strikingly  characteristic. 
They  came  dashing  forward  at  full  speed,  firing 
their  fusees,  and  yelling  in  Indian  style.  Their 
^.  dark  sunburnt  faces,  and  long  flowing  hair,  their 
leggins,  flaps,  moccasins,  and  richly  dyed  blank- 
ets, and  their  painted  horses  gaudily  caparisoned, 
gave  them  so  much  -the  air  and  appearance  of  In- 
dians, that  it  was  difiicult  to  persuade  oneself  that 
they  were  white  men,  and  had  been  brought  up  in 
civilised  life.  .  -^=^^ 


-;* 


m 


-^ 


*?i 


'% 


»• 


% 


#- 


„  ■'-I 


^niif'*"  •  • 


^^ 


\ 


';t,. 


? 


m 


"'M 


# 


::l^ 


94 


^- 


YISIT  OF  THE   FRBB   TRAPPERS. 


Captain  Bonneville  was  delighted  with  the  game 
look  of  these  cavaliers  of  the  mountains,  welcomed 
them  heartily  to  his  camp,  and  ordered  a  free  allow* 
ance  of  grog  to  regale  them,  which  soon  put  them 
in  the  most  braggart  spirits.  They  pronounced. the 
captain  the  finest  fellow  in  the  world,  and  his  men 
all  bans  gargons,  jovial  lads,  and  swore  they  would 
pass  the  day  with  them.  They  did  so ;  and  a  day  it 
was,  of  boast,  and  swagger,  and  rodomontado.  The 
prime  bullies  and  braves  among  the  free  trappers 
had  each  his  circle  of  novices,  from  among  the 
captain's  band;  mere  greenhorns,  men  unused  to 
Indian  life ;  mangeurs  de  lard,  or  pork  eaters ;  as 
such  new  comers  are  superciliously  called  by  the 
veterans  of  the  wilderness.  These  he  would  asto- 
nish and  delight  by  the  hour,  with  prodigious  tales 
of  his  doings  among  the  Indians;  and  of  the  wonders 
he  had  seen,  and  the  wonders  he  had  performed, 
in  his  adventurous  peregrinations  among  the  moun-t 
tains. 

In  the  evening,  the  free  trappers  drew  off,  and 
returned  to  the  camp  of  Fontenelle,  highly  delighted 
with  their  visit  and  with  their  new  acquaintances, 
and  promising  to  return  the  following  day.  They 
kept  their  word :  day  after  day  their  visits  wt)re 
repeated ;  they  became  "  hail  fellow  well  met"  wi  th 
Captain  Bonneville's  men;  treat  after  treat  suc- 
ceeded, until  both  parties  got  most  potently  con- 
vinced, or  rather  confounded  by  liquor.  Now  came 
on  confusion  and  uproar.  The  free  trappers  were 
no  longer  suffered  to  have  all  the  swagger  to  them- 
selves.   The  camp  bullies  and  prime  trappers  of 


'^•' 


:■'■.'    '■  jV 

'  1'      ' 

* 


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♦ 


W'v 


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t 


■»!•■«- 


.4i.. 


m-~ 


M- 


A  FROLIC   AND  A  FIGHT. 


95 


a-  * 


^ 


'^^ 


■4t-r 


4'  M 


-to 


:*... 


#►. 


/;. 


the  party  began  to  ruffle  up,  and  to  brag,  in  turn,  bf 
their  perils  and  achievements.  Each  now  Xlff^  to 
out-boast  and  out-talk  each  other ;  a  quarrel  ensued 
as  a  matter  of  course,  and  a  general  fight,  according 
to  frontier  usage.  The  two  factions  drew  out  their 
forces  for  a  pitched  battle.  They  fell  to  work  and 
belabored  each  other  with  might  and  main ;  kicks 
and  cuffs  and  dry  blows  were  as  well  bestowed  as 
they  were  well  merited,  until,  having  fought  to  their 
hearts'  content,  and  been  drubbed  into  a  familiar 
acquaintance  with  each  other's  prowess  and  good 
qualities,  they  ended  the  fight  by  becoming  firmer 
friends  than  they  could  have  been  rendered  by  a 
year's  peaceable  companionship. 

While  Captain  Bonneville  amused  himself  by 
observing  the  habits  and  characteristics  of  this  sin- 
gular class  of  men ;  and  indulged  them,  for  the 
time,  in  all  their  vagaries,  he  profited  by  the  oppor- 
tunity to  collect  from  them  information  concerning 
the  different  parts  of  the  country,  about  which  they 
had  been  accustomed  to  range :  the  characters  of 
the  tribes,  and,  in  short,  every  thing  important  to 
his  enterprise.  He  also  succeeded  in  securing  the 
services  of  several  to  guide  and  aid  him  in  his  pere- 
grinations among  the  mountains,  and  to  trap  for  him 
during  the  ensuing  season.  Having  strengthened 
his  party  with  such  valuable  recruits,  he  felt  in 
some  measure  consoled  for  the  loss  of  the  Delaware 
Indians,  decoyed  from  him  by  Mr.  Fontenelle. 


.%.... 


'/■- 


'mfi 


^• 


^Js 


m 


■>■■* 


U.M 


^  •  V 


fe,     N 


f  '-% 


^m-:- 


r 


'ifit 


96 


SALMON  RIYBR. 


■>*' 


%t 


IVf> 


CHAPTER   VIII. 


■\: 


iA-. 


r 

f 


% 


*  , 


p 


€ 


Plana  for  the  winter^Salmon  river— Abundance  of  salmon  west 
of  the  mountains — New  arrangements — Caches — Cerr^'s  detach- 
ment— Movements  in  Fontenelle's  camp — Departure  of  the 
Blackfeet — their  fortunes — Wind  mountain  streams — ^Buckeye, 
the  Delaware  hunter,  and  the  grizzly  bear — Bones  of  murdered 
travellers — ^Viait  to  Pierre's  Hole — ^Traces  of  the  battle — Nez 
Perc^  Indians — Arrival  at  Salmon  river. 


V 


'**' 


%: 


The  information  derived  from  the  free  trappers, 
determined  Captain  Bonneville  as  to  his  further 
movements.  He  learnt  that  in  the  Green  river 
valley  the  winters  were  severe,  the  snow  frequently  , 
falling  to  the  depth  of  several  feet ;  and  that  there 
was  no  good  wintering  ground  in  the  neighborhood.  - 
The  upper  part  of  the  Salmon  river  was  represented 
as  far  more  eligible,  beside  being  in  an  excellent 
beaver  country ;  and  thither  the  captain  resolved  to 
bend  his  course. 

The  Salmon  river  is  one  of  the  upper  brancheagj^ 
of  the  Oregon  or  Columbia ;  and  takes  its  rise  from 
various  sources,  among  a  group  of  mountains  to  the 
northwest  of  the  Wind  river  chain.  It  takes  its 
name  from  the  immense  shoals  of  salmon  which 
ascend  it  in  the  months  of  September  and  Octo- 
ber. The  salmon  on  the  west  side  of  the  Rocky 
mountains,  are,  like  the  buffalo  on  the  eastern  plains, 


% 


"m.. 


r-'^ 


#■> 


i%: 


V  "'^ 


MIGRATIONS   OF   THE   SALMON. 


^ 


97 


vast  migratory  supplies  for  the  wants  of  man,  that 
come  and  go  with  the  seasons.  As  the  buffalo  in 
countless  throngs  find  their  certain  way  with  the 
transient  pasturage  on  the  prairies,  along  the  fresh 
banks  of  the  rivers,  and  up  every  valley  and  green 
defile  of  the  mountains,  so  the  salmon  at  their  al- 
lotted seasons,  regulated  by  a  sublime  and  all-seeing 
Providence,  swarm  in  myriads  up  the  great  rivers, 
an^i  find  their  way  up  their  main  branches,  and  into 
the  minutest  tributary  streams ;  so  as  to  pervade 
the  great  arid  plains,  and  to  penetrate  even  among 
barren  mountains.  Thus  wandering  tribes  are  fed 
in  the  desert  places  of  the  wilderness,  where  there 
is  no  herbage  for  the  animals  of  the  chase,  and 
where,  but  for  these  periodical  supplies,  it  would 
be  impossible  for  man  to  subsist. 

The  rapid  currents  of  the  rivers  that  run  into  the 
Pacific,  render  the  ascent  of  them  very  exhausting 
to  the  salmon.  When  the  fish  first  run  up  the 
rivers,  they  are  fat  and  in  fine  order.  The  struggle 
against  impetuous  streams  and  frequent  rapids, 
gradually  renders  them  thin  and  weak,  and  great 
numbers  are  seen  floating  down  the  rivers  on  their 
backs.  As  the  season  advances  and  the  water  be- 
comes chilled,  they  are  flung  in  myriads  on  the 
shores,  where  the  wolves  and  bears  assemble  to 
banquet  on  them.  Often  they  rot  in  such  quanti- 
ties along  the  river  banks,  as  to  taint  the  atmosphere. 
They  are  commonly  from  two  to  three  feet  long. 

Captain  Bonneville  now  made  his  arrangements 
for  the  autumn  and  the  winter.  The  nature  of  the 
country  through  which  he  was  about  to  travel,  ren- 

TOL.   I.  9 


H«l 


"^-^ 


a 


W 


f 


^i     ,  -v- 


1^ 


m 


I.' 


r. 


i  ■ 


.a:¥ 


''  v^r 


".« 


.rT 


98 


MATTHIEU  S    BRIGADE    OF    TRAPPERS.    * 


■i4 


dered  it  impossible  to  proceed  with  waggons.  He 
had  more  goods  and  supplies  of  various  kinds,  also, 
than  were  required  for  present  purposes,  or  than 
could  be  conveniently  transported  on  horseback ; 
aided,  therefore,  by  a  few  confidential  men,  he 
made  caches,  or  secret  pits,  during  the  night,  when 
all  the  rest  of  the  camp  were  asleep,  and  in  these 
deposited  the  superfluous  effects,  together  with  the 
waggons.  All  traces  of  the  caches  were  then 
carefully  obliterated.  This  is  a  common  expedient 
with  the  traders  and  trappers  of  the  mountains. 
Having  no  established  posts  and  magazines,  they 
make  these  caches  or  deposits  at  certain  points, 
whither  they  repair,  occasionally,  for  supplies.  It 
is  an  expedient  derived  from  the  wandering  tribes 
of  Indians.  '  '  -  * 

Many  of  the  horses  were  still  so  weak  and  lame, 
as  to  be  unfit  for  a  long  scramble  through  the 
mountains.  These  were  collected  into  one  caval- 
cade, and  given  in  charge  to  an  experienced  trapper, 
of  the  name  of  Matthieu.  He  was  to  proceed 
westward,  with  a  brigade  of  trappers,  to  Bear  river; 
a  stream  to  the  west  of  the  Green  river  or  Colorado, 
where  there  was  good  pasturage  for  the  horses.  In 
this  neighborhood  it  was  expected  he  would  meet 
the  Shoshonie  villages  or  bands/  on  their  yearly 

*  A  village  of  Indiane,  in  tnppen'  language,  does  noC  atwajra 
imply  a  fixed  community ;  but  often  a  wandering  horde  or  ttuid. 
The  SlHwhonies,  like  most  of  the  mountain  tribea,  have  no  acttled 
reaidences ;  but  are  a  nomadic  people,  dwelling  in  tent*  or  lodges, 
and  ahifting  their  encampments  bom  place  to  place,  MOording  aa 
fidh  and  gams  abound. 


.n 


^' 


.  tm^  * 


U 


RIVAL  LEADERS  OF  THE  FUR  COMPANIES.   99 


migrations,  with  whom  he  was  to  trade  for  peltries 
and  provisions.  After  he  had  traded  with  these 
people,  finished  his  trapping,  and  recruited  the 
strength  of  the  horses,  he  was  to  proceed  to  Salmon 
river  ancf  rejoin  Captain  Bonneville,  who  intended 
to  fix  his  quarters  there  for  the  winter. 

While  these  arrangements  were  in  progress  in 
the  camp  of  Captain  Bonneville,  there  was  a  sudden 
bustle  and  stir  in  the  camp  of  Fontenelle.  One  of 
the  partners  of  the  American  Fur  Company  had 
arrived,  in  all  haste,  from  the  rendezvous  at  Pierre's 
Hole,  in  quest  of  the  supplies.  The  competition 
between  the  two  rival  companies  was  just  now  at 
its  height,  and  prosecuted  with  unusual  zeal.  The 
tramontane  concerns  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur 
Company  were  managed  by  two  resident  partners, 
Fitzpatrick  and  Bridger ;  those  of  the  American 
Fur  Company,  by  Vanderburgh  and  Dripps.  The 
latter  were  ignorant  of  the  mountain  regions,  but 
trusted  to  make  up  by  vigilance  and  activity  for 
their  want  of  knowledge  of  the  country. 

Fitzpatrick,  an  experienced  trader  and  trapper, 
knew  the  evils  of  competition  in  the  same  hunting- 
grounds,  and  had  proposed  that  the  two  companies 
should  divide  the  country,  so  as  to  hunt  in  different 
directions :  this  proposition  being  rejected,  he  had 
exerted  himself  to  get  first  into  the  field.  His 
exertions,  as  has  already  been  shown,  were  effectual. 
The  early  arrival  of  Sublette,  with  supplies,  had 
enabled  the  various  brigades  of  the  Rocky  Mountain 
Company  to  start  off  to  their  respective  hunting- 
grounds.    Fitzpatrick  himself,  with  his  associate, 


w 


a    < 


'SX^ 


0 


'■'  t^Vf^, 


■t  .p' 


w 


V* 


'  T 


r 


k*: 


It 

i 

ii 


"tt' 


t» 


100 


MOVEMENTS   OF   THE   BLACKFEET. 


Bridger,  had  pushed  off  with  a  strong  party  of 
trappers,  for  a  prime  beaver  country  to  the  north- 
northwest. 

This  had  put  Vanderburgh  upon  his  mettle.  He 
had  hastened  on  to  meet  Fontenelle.  Finding  him 
at  his  camp  in  Green  river  valley,  he  immediately 
furnished  himself  with  the  supplies ;  put  himself  at 
the  head  of  the  free  trappers  and  Delawares,  and 
set  off  with  all  speed,  determined  to  follow  hard 
upon  the  heels  of  Fitzpatrick  and  Bridger.  Of  the 
adventures  of  these  parties  among  tbe  mountains, 
and  the  disastrous  effects  of  their  competition,  we 
shall  have  occasion  to  treat  in  a  future  chapter. 

Fontenelle,  having  now  delivered  his  supplies  and 
accomplished  his  errand,  struck  his  tents  and  set  off 
on  his  return  to  the  Yellowstone.  Captain  Bonne- 
ville and  his  band,  therefore,  remained  alone  in  the 
Green  river  valley ;  and  their  situation  might  have 
been  perilous,  had  the  Blackfeet  band  still  lingered 
in  the  vicinity.  Those  marauders,  however,  had 
been  dismayed  at  finding  so  many  resolute  and  well- 
appointed  parties  of  white  men  in  this  neighborhood. 
They  had,  therefore,  abandoned  this  part  of  the 
country,  passing  over  the  head  waters  of  the  Green 
river,  and  bending  their  course  toward  the  Yellow- 
stone. Misfortune  pursued  them.  Their  route  lay 
through  the  country  0/  their  deadly  enemies,  the 
Crows.  In  the  Wind  river  valley,  which  lies  east 
of  the  mountains,  they  were  encountered  by  a 
powerful  war  party  of  that  tribe,  and  completely 
put  to  rout.  Forty  of  them  were  killed,  many  of 
their  women  and  children  captured,  and  the  scattered 


^ 


'X 


:^ 


%" 


•^ 


:f 


DECAMPMENT — MOUNTAIN    STREAMS. 


IQl 


fugitives  hunted  like  wild  boasts,  until  they  were 
completely  chased  out  of  the  Crow  country. 

On  the  22d  of  August  Captain  Bonneville  broke 
up  his  camp,  and  set  out  on  his  route  for  Salmon 
river.  His  baggage  was  arranged  in  packs,  three 
to  a  mule,  or  packhorse  ;  one  being  disposed  on  each 
side  of  the  animal,  and  one  on  the  top ;  the  three 
forming  a  load  of  from  one  hundred  and  eighty  to  two 
hundred  and  twenty  pounds.  This  is  the  trappers' 
style  of  loading  their  packhorses ;  his  men,  however, 
were  inexpert  at  adjusting  the  packs ;  which  were 
prone  to  get  loose  and  slip  off;  so  that  it  was  ne- 
cessary to  keep  a  rear  guard,  to  assist  in  reloading. 
A  few  days'  experience,  however,  brought  them  into 
proper  training. 

Their  march  lay  up  the  valley  of  the  Seeds-ke- 
dee,  overlooked  to  the  right  by  the  lofty  peaks  of  the 
"Wind  river  mountains.  From  bright  little  lakes 
and  fountain  heads  of  this  remarkable  bed  of  moun- 
tains, poured  forth  the  tributary  streams  of  the 
Seeds-ke-dee.  Some  came  rushing  down  gullies 
and  ravines ;  others  tumbling  in  crystal  cascades 
from  inaccessible  clefts  and  rocks,  winding  their 
way  in  rapid  and  pellucid  currents  across  the  valley, 
to  throw  themselves  into  the  main  river.  So  trans- 
parent were  these  waters,  that  the  trout,  with  which 
they  abounded,  could  be  seen  gliding  about  as  if  in 
the  air ;  and  their  pebbly  beefs  were  distinctly  visi- 
ble at  the  depth  of  many  feet.  This  beautiful  and 
diaphanous  quality  of  the  Rocky  mountain  streams, 
prevails  for  a  long  time  after  they  have  mingled 
their  waters  and  swollen  into  important  rivers.       ^j^ 

9* 


« 


tr 


W 


■;4- 


^     iTt^i' 


102 


BUCKEYE   AND  THE   BEARS. 


i- 


'■  -n 


iji^ 


'■^■ 


Issuing  forth  from  the  upper  part  of  the  valley, 
Captain  Bonneville  continued  to  the  east-northeast, 
across  rough  and  lofty  ridges,  and  deep  rocky  de< 
Ales,  extremely  fatiguing  both  to  man  and  horse. 
Among  his  hunters  was  a  Delaware  Indian  who  had 
remained  faithful  to  him.  His  name  was  Buckeye. 
He  had  often  prided  himself  on  his  skill  and  success 
in  coping  with  the  grizzly  bear,  that  terror  of  the 
hunters.  Though  crippled  in  the  left  arm,  he  de- 
clared he  had  no  hesitation  to  close  with  a  wounded 
bear,  and  attack  him  with  a  sword.  If  armed  with 
a  rifle,  he  was  willing  to  brave  the  animal  when  in 
full  force  and  fury.  He  had  twice  an  opportunity 
of  proving  his  prowess,  in  the  course  of  this  moun- 
tain journey,  and  was  each  time  successful.  His 
mode  was  to  seat  himself  upon  the  ground,  with 
his  rifle  cocked  and  resting  on  his  lame  arm.  Thus 
prepared,  he  would  await  the  approach  of  the  bear 
with  perfect  coolness,  nor  pull  trigger  until  he  was 
close  at  hand.  In  each  instance,  he  laid  the  mon- 
ster dead  upon  the  spot. 

A  march  of  three  or  four  days,  through  savage 
and  lonely  scenes,  brought  Captain  Bonneville  to 
the  fatal  defile  of  Jackson's  Hole,  where  poor  More 
and  Foy  had  been  surprised  and  murdered  by  the 
Blackfeet.  The  feelings  of  the  Captain  were 
shocked  at  beholding  the  bones  of  these  unfortunate 
young  men  bleaching  among  the  rocks;  and  he 
caused  them  to  be  decently  interred. 

On  the  3d  of  September  he  arrived  on  the  sum- 
mit of  a  mountain  which  commanded  a  full  view 
of  the  eventful  valley  of  Pierre's  Hole.     From  hence 


I 


I 


h:- 


w* 


*, 


<.'», 


he  valley, 
northeast, 
rocky  de- 
id  horse, 
who  had 
Buckeye. 
1  success 
OT  of  the 
n,  he  de- 
wounded 
med  with 
when  in 
portunity 
lis  moun- 
ful.  His 
ind,  with 
I.  Thus 
the  bear 
1  he  was 
he  mon- 

savage 
eville  to 
lor  More 
by  the 
Hn  were 
brtunate 
and  he 

le  sum- 
ill  view 
n  hence 


THE  BATTLE  GROUND  OF  PIERRE's  HOLE.   103 

he  could  trace  the  winding  of  its  'streams  through 
green  meadows,  and  forests  of  willow  and  cotton- 
wood  :  and  had  a  prospect,  between  distant  moun- 
tains, of  the  lava  plains  of  Snake  river,  dimly  spread 
forth  like  a  sleeping  ocean  below. 

After  enjoying  this  magnificent  prospect,  he  de- 
scended into  the  valley,  and  visited  the  scenes  of 
the  late  desperate  conflict.  There  were  the  remains 
of  the  rude  fortress  in  the  swamp,  shattered  by  rifle 
shot,  and  strewed  with  the  mingled  bones  of  sav- 
ages and  horses.  There  was  the  late  populous  and 
noisy  rendezvous,  with  the  traces  of  trappers*  camps 
and  Indian  lodges ;  but  their  fires  were  extinguished, 
the  motley  assemblage  of  trappers  and  hunters, 
white  traders  and  Indian  braves,  had  all  dispersed 
to  different  points  of  the  wilderness,  and  the  valley 
had  relapsed  into  its  pristine  solitude  and  silence. 

That  night  the  captain  encamped  upon  the  battle 
ground ;  the  next  day,  he  resumed  his  toilsome 
peregrinations  through  the  mountains.  For  up- 
wards of  two  weeks  he  continued  his  painful  march; 
both  men  and  horses  suffering  excessively  at  times 
from  hunger  and  thirst.  At  length,  on  the  19th  of 
September,  he  reached  the  upper  waters  of  Salmon 
river. 

The  weather  was  cold,  and  there  were  symptoms 
of  an  impending  storm.  The  night  set  in,  but 
Buckeye,  the  Delaware  Indian,  was  missing.  He 
had  left  the  party  early  in  the  morning,  to  hunt  by 
himself,  according  to  his  custom.  Fears  were  en- 
tertained, lesi  he  should  lose  his  way,  and  become 
bewildered  in  tempestuous  weather.    These  fears 


», 


% 


% 


I  j  'I 

.  ■  ■■ 


1.  V 

'   I' 


r  ^1 


# 


■  1. 


n 


104 


AN   INDIAN    HUNTING   PARTY. 


increased  on  the  following  morning,  when  a  violent 
snow  storm  came  on,  which  soon  covered  the  earth 
to  the  depth  of  several  inches.  Captain  Bonneville 
immediately  encamped,  and  sent  out  scouts  in  every 
direction.  After  some  search.  Buckeye  was  dis- 
covered, quietly  seated,  at  a  considerable  distance 
in  the  rear,  waiting  the  expected  approach  of  the 
party,  not  knowing  that  they  had  passed,  the  snow 
having  covered  their  trail. 

On  the  ensuing  morning,  they  resumed  their 
march  at  an  early  hour,  but  had  not  proceeded  far, 
when  the  hunters,  who  were  beating  up  the  country 
in  the  advance,  came  galloping  back,  making  sig- 
nals to  encamp,  and  crying  Indians  !  Indians  ! 

Captain  Bonneville  immediately  struck  into  a 
skirt  of  wood  and  prepared  for  action.  The  sav- 
ages were  now  seen  trooping  over  the  hills  in  great 
numbers.  One  of  them  left  the  main  body  and 
came  forward  singly,  making  signals  of  peace.  He 
announced  them  as  a  band  of  Nez  Percys*  or 
Pierced-nose  Indians,  friendly  to  the  whites,  where- 
upon, an  invitation  was  returned  by  Captain  Bonne- 
ville, for  them  to  come  and  encamp  with  him. 
They  halted  for  a  short  time  to  make  their  toilette, 
an  operation  as  important  with  an  Indian  warrior, 
as  with  a  fashionable  beauty.  This  done,  they  ar- 
ranged themselves  in  martial  style,  the  chiefs  lead- 
ing the  van,  the  braves  following  in  a  long  line. 


» 


*  We  should  observe  that  this  tribe  is  universally  called  by  its 
French  name,  which  is  pronounced  by  the  trappers,  ^epercy. 
There  are  two  main  branches  of  this  tribe,  the  upper  Nepercys  and 
the  lower  Nepercys,  as  we  shall  show  hereafter. 


DETACHMENT    OF   CERRE. 


105 


painted  and  decorated,  and  topped  off  with  flutter- 
ing plumes.  In  this  way  they  advanced,  shouting 
and, singing,  firing  off  their  fusees,  and  clashing 
their  shields.  The  two  parties  encamped  hard  by 
each  other.  The  Nez  Percys  were  on  a  hunting 
expedition,  but  had  been  almost  famished  on  their  * 
march.  They  had  no  provisions  left  but  a  few 
dried  salmon,  yet  finding  the  white  men  equally  in 
want,  they  generously  offered  to  share  even  this 
meagre  pittance,  and  frequently  repeated  the  offer, 
with  an  earnestness  that  left  no  doubt  of  their  sin- 
cerity. Their  generosity  won  the  heart  of  Captain 
Bonneville,  and  produced  the  most  cordial  good 
will  on  the  part  of  his  men.  For  two  days  that 
the  parties  remained  in  company,  the  most  amica- 
ble intercourse  prevailed,  and  they  parted  the  best 
of  friends.  Captain  Bonneville  detached  a  few 
men,  under  Mr.  Cerr6,  an  able  leader,  to  accom- 
pany the  Nez  Percys  on  their  hunting  expedition, 
and  to  trade  with  them  for  meat  for  the  winter's 
supply.  After  this,  he  proceeded  down  the  river, 
about  five  miles  below  the  forks,  when  he  came  to 
a  halt  on  the  26th  of  September,  to  estabhsh  his 
winter  quarters. 


.* 


-J* 


'V.    I 


-•■*<•' 


% 


% 


}ij:, 


'dl 


>i 


i 


106 


PBIPARATIONS   FOR   WINTER. 


*, 


\\ 


CHAPTER   IX. 


Horses  turned  loose — Preparations  for  winter  quarters — Hungry 
times — Nez  Percys,  their  honesty,  piety,  pacific  habits,  religious 
ceremonies — Captain  Bonneville's  conversations  with  them — 
Their  love  of  gambling. 


'f 


^  'm^ 


It  was  a  gratifying  thing  to  Captain  Bonneville, 
after  so  long  and  toilsome  a  course  of  travel,  to 
relieve  his  poor  jaded  horses  of  the  burdens  under 
which  they  were  almost  ready  to  give  out,  and  to 
behold  them  rolling  upon  the  green  grass,  and 
taking  a  long  repose  after  all  their  sufferings.  In- 
deed, so  exhausted  were  they,  that  those  employed 
under  the  saddle  were  no  longer  capable  of  hunting 
for  the  daily  subsistence  of  the  camp. 

All  hands  now  set  to  work  to  prepare  a  winter 
cantonment.  A  temporary  fortification  was  thrown 
up  for  the  protection  of  the  party ;  a  secure  and 
comfortable  pen,  into  which  the  horses  could  be 
driven  at  night ;  and  huts  were  built  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  merchandise. 

This  done.  Captain  Bonneville  made  a  distribu- 
tion of  his  forces  :  twenty  men  were  to  remain  with 
him  in  garrison  to  protect  the  property;  the  rest 
were  organized  into  three  brigades,  and  sent  off  in 
different  directions,  to  subsist  themselves  by  hunt- 


.#■ 


P 


T  •  <%' 


HUNOZ&  IN   TUX   CAMP. 


107 


'.  \ 


■8 — Hungry 
its,  religious 
ith   them — 


mneville, 
travel,  to 
ns  under 
t,  and  to 
ass,  and 
gs.  In- 
mployed 
lunting 

a  winter 
thrown 
ure  and 
ould  be 
recep- 

istribu- 
lin  with 
le  rest 
t  off  in 
V  hunt- 


ing the  buffalo,  until  the  snow  should  become  too 
deep. 

Indeed,  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  provide 
for  the  whole  party  in  this  neighborhood.  It  was 
at  the  extreme  western  limit  of  the  buffalo  range, 
and  these  animals  had  recently  been  completely 
hunted  out  of  the  neighborhood  by  the  Nez  Perc6s, 
so  that,  although  the  hunters  of  the  garrison  were 
continually  on  the  alert,  ranging  the  country  round, 
they  brought  in  scarce  game  sufficient  to  keep 
famine  from  the  door.  Now  and  then  there  was  a 
scanty  meal  of  fish  or  wild  fowl,  occasionally  an 
antelope ;  but  frequently  the  cravings  of  hunger  had 
to  be  appeased  with  roots,  of  the  flesh  of  wolves 
and  muskrats.  Rarely  could  the  inmates  of  the 
cantonment  boast  of  having  made  a  full  meal,  and 
never  of  having  wherewithal  for  the  morrow.  In 
this  way  they  starved  along  until  the  8th  of  October, 
when  they  were  joined  by  a  party  of  five  families 
of  Nez  Percys,  who  in  some  measure  reconciled 
them  to  the  hardships  of  their  situation,  by  exhibit- 
ing a  lot  still  more  destitute.  A  more  forlorn  set 
they  had  never  encountered :  they  had  not  a  morsel 
of  meat  or  fish ;  nor  any  thing  to  subsist  on,  except- 
ing roots,  wild  rosebuds,  the  barks  of  certain  plants, 
and  other  vegetable  productions ;  neither  had  they 
any  weapon  for  hunting  or  defence,  excepting  an 
old  spear :  yet  the  poor  fellows  made  no  murmur 
nor  complaint;  but  seemed  accustomed  to  their 
hard  fare.  If  they  could  not  teach  the  white  men 
their  practical  stoicism,  they  at  least  made  them 
acquainted  with  the  edible  properties  of  roots  and 


'"^ 


'^j|tap, 


I  ft' 


^M 


'11- 


■* 


;* 


i 


i08 


PIOUS  SCRUPLES  OF  SAVAGES. 


wild  rosebuds,  and  furnished  them  a  supply  from 
their  own  store.  The  necessities  of  the  camp  at 
length  became  so  urgent,  that  Captain  Bonne\ille 
determined  to  despatch  a  party  to  the  Horse  prairie, 
a  plain  to  the*north  of  his  cantonment,  to  procure  a 
supply  of  provisions.  When  the  men  were  about 
to  depart,  he  proposed  to  the  Nez  Percys  that  they, 
or  some  of  them,  should  join  the  hunting  party.  To 
his  surprise,  they  promptly  declined.  He  inquired 
the  reason  for  their  refusal,  seeing  that  they  were  in 
nearly  as  starving  a  situation  as  his  own  people. 
They  replied  that  it  was  a  sacred  day  with  them, 
and  the  Great  Spirit  would  be  angry  should  they 
devote  it  to  hunting.  They  offered,  however,  to 
accompany  the  party  if  it  would  delay  its  departure 
until  the  following  day ;  but  this  the  pinching  de- 
mands of  hunger  would  not  permit,  and  the  detach- 
ment proceeded. 

A  few  days  afterwards,  four  of  them  signified  to 
Captain  Bonneville  that  they  were  about  to  hunt. 
"  What !"  exclaimed  he,  "  without  guns  or  arrows ; 
and  with  only  one  old  spear  ?  What  do  you  expect 
to  kill  ?"  They  smiled  among  themselves,  but  made 
no  answer.  They  prepared  for  the  chase  with  a 
natural  piety  that  seems  to  have  been  edifying  to 
the  beholders.  They  performed  some  religious 
rites,  and  offered  up  to  the  Great  Spirit  a  few  short 
prayers  for  safety  and  success;  then,  having  re- 
ceived the  blessings  of  their  wives,  they  leaped 
upon  their  horses  and  departed,  leaving  the  whole 
paity  of  Christian  spectators  amazed  and  rebuked 
by  this  lesson  of  faith  and  depcndance  on  a  supreme 


"^^fr 


r      _  '.V 


PIETY    OF  THE    NEZ   PERCE8. 


109 


ipply  from 
i  camp  at 
Bonne\ille 
•se  prairie, 

procure  a 
^ere  about 

that  tliey, 
Darty.  To 
e  inquired 
By  were  in 
i^n  people, 
vith  them, 
lould  they 
)wever,  to 

departure 
nching  de- 
he  detach- 

ignified  to 

to  hunt. 

t)r  arrows ; 

ou  expect 

but  made 

se  with  a 

difying  to 

religious 

few  short 

aving  re- 

sy  leaped 

he  whole 

rebuked 

supreme 


tnd  benevolent  Being.  "  Accustomed,"  adds  Cap- 
tain Bonneville,  "  as  I  had  heretofore  been,  to  find 
the  wretched  Indian  revelling  in  blood,  and  stained 
by  every  vice  which  can  degrade  human  nature,  I 
could  scarcely  realize  the  scene  which  I  had  wit- 
nessed. Wonder  at  such  unaffected  tenderness  and 
pieiy,  where  it  was  least  to  have  been  sought,  con- 
tended in  all  our  bosoms  with  shame  and  confusion, 
at  receiving  such  pure  and  wholesome  instructions 
from  creatures  so  far  below  us  in  all  the  arts  and 
comforts  of  life."  The  simple  prayers  of  the  poor 
Indians  were  not  unheard.  In  the  course  of  four  or 
five  days  they  returned,  laden  with  meat.  Captain 
Bonneville  was  curious  to  know  how  they  had 
attained  such  success  with  such  scanty  means. 
They  gave  him  to  understand  that  they  had  chased 
the  herds  of  buffalo  at  full  speed,  until  they  tired 
them  down,  when  they  easily  despatched  them  with 
the  spear,  and  made  use  of  the  same  weapon  to  flay 
the  carcasses.  To  carry  through  their  lesson  to 
their  Christian  friends,  the  poor  savages  were  as 
charitable  as  they  had  been  pious,  and  generously 
shared  with  them  the  spoils  of  their  hunting :  giving 
them  food  enough  to  last  for  several  days. 

A  further  and  more  intimate  intercourse  with  this 
tribe,  gave  Captain  Bonneville  still  greater  cause 
to  admire  their  strong  devotional  feeling.  "  Simply 
to  call  these  people  religious,"  says  he,  "  would 
convey  but  a  faint  idea  of  the  deep  hue  of  piety 
?nd  devotion  which  pervades  their  whole  conduct. 
Their  honesty  is  immaculate,  and  their  purity  of 
purpose,  and  their  observance  of  the  rites  of  their 

VOL.  I.  10 


i 


* 


V.  -^ 


ctfe 


'■'SSl. 


•'■^    \\ 


\ 


no 


PIETY    OF   THE    N£Z    PERCES. 


!N 


religion,  are  most  uniform  and  remarkable.  They 
are,  certainly,  more  like  a  nation  of  saints  than  a 
horde  of  savages." 

In  fact,  the  antibelligerant  policy  of  this  tribe, 
may  have  sprung  from  the  doctrines  of  Christian 
charity,  for  it  would  appear  that  they  had  imbibed 
some  notions  of  the  Christian  faith  from  Catholic 
missionaries  and  traders  who  had  been  among  them. 
They  even  had  a  rude  calendar  of  the  fasts  and 
festivals  of  the  Romish  Church,  and  some  traces 
of  its  ceremonials.  These  have  become  blended 
with  their  own  wild  rites,  and  present  a  strange 
medley ;  civilized  and  barbarous.  On  the  Sab- 
bath, men,  women  and  children  array  themselves 
in  their  best  style,  and  assemble  round  a  pole 
erected  at  the  head  of  the  camp.  Here  they  go 
through  a  wild  fantastic  ceremonial ;  strongly 
resembling  the  religious  dance  of  the  Shaking 
Quakers ;  but  from  its  enthusiasm,  much  more 
striking  and  impressive.  During  the  intervals  of 
the  ceremony,  the  principal  chiefs,  who  officiate  as 
priests,  instruct  them  in  their  duties,  and  exhort 
them  to  virtue  and  good  deeds. 
'  "There  is  something  antique  and  patriarchal," 
observes  Captain  Bonneville,  "  in  this  union  of  the 
offices  of  leader  and  priest ;  as  there  is  in  many  of 
their  customs  and  manners,  which  are  all  strongly 
imbued  with  reliffion." 

The  worthy  captain,  indeed,  appears  to  have  been 
strongly  interested  by  this  gleam  of  unlooked  for 
light  amidst  the  darkness  of  the  wilderness.  He 
exerted  himself,  during  his  sojourn  among  this  sim- 


f.. 


^.. 


te.. 


"■?^p? 


fk^ 


<  « 


PIETY    OF   THE    NEZ    TERCES. 


Ill 


pie  and  welldisposed  people,  to  inculcate,  as  far  as 
he  was  able,  the  gentle  and  humanizing  precepts  of 
the  Christian  faith,  and  to  make  them  acquainted 
with  the  leading  points  of  its  history ;  and  it  speaks 
highly  for  the  purity  and  benignity  of  his  heart,  that 
he  derived  unmixed  happiness  from  the  task. 

"  Many  a  time,"  says  he,  "  was  my  little  lodge 
thronged,  or  rather  piled  with  hearers,  for  they  lay 
on  the  ground,  one  leaning  over  the  other,  until 
there  was  no  further  room,  all  listening  with  greedy 
ears  to  the  wonders  which  the  Great  Spirit  had 
revealed  to  the  white  man.  No  other  subject  gave 
them  half  the  satisfaction,  or  commanded  half  the 
attention ;  and  but  few  scenes  in  my  life  remain 
so  freshly  on  my  memory,  or  are  so  pleasurably  re- 
called to  my  contemplation,  as  these  hours  of  inter- 
course with  a  distant  and  benighted  race  in  the  midst 
of  the  desert." 

The  only  excesses  indulged  in  by  this  temperate 
and  exemplary  people,  appear  to  be  gambling  and 
horseracing.  In  these  they  engage  with  an  eager- 
ness that  amounts  to  infatuation.  Knots  of  gamblers 
will  assemble  before  one  of  their  lodge  fires,  early 
in  the  evening,  and  remain  absorbed  in  the  chances 
and  changes  of  the  game  until  long  after  dawn  of 
the  following  day.  As  the  night  advances,  they 
wax  warmer  and  warmer.  Bets  increase  in  amount, 
one  loss  only  serves  to  lead  to  a  greater,  until  in  the 
course  of  a  single  night's  gambling,  the  richest  chief 
becomes  the  poorest  varlet  in  the  camp. 


4 


-"':'4I 


i  2 


t^ 


*-         !■' 


f^ 


M3 


^J-"* 


..iS-..: 


^. 


«..^- 


•^s 


•  I 


k   V 


! 


!     H 


i 


■I  . 


'U 


<'■ 


■   ^-  ■■  wr     ••  9 


JP 


118 


\         * 


ALARM   OP   BLACKFEBT. 


■■'%■ 


V\  I 


CHAPTER  X. 

I 

Blackfeet  in  the  Horse  prairie — Search  afler  the  hunters — Difficul- 
ties and  dangers — A  card  party  in  the  wilderness — The  card 
party  interrupted — "  Old  Sledge"  a  losing  game — Visiters  to  the 
camp — Iroquois  hunters — Hanging-eared  Indians. 

On  the  12th  of  October,  two  young  Indians  of  the 
Nez  Perc6  tribe  arrived  at  Captain  Bonneville's 
encanlpment.  They  were  on  their  way  homeward, 
but  had  been  obliged  to  swerve  from  their  ordinary 
route  through  the  mountains,  by  deep  snows.  Their 
new  route  took  them  through  the  Horse  prairie. 
In  traversing  it,  they  had  been  attracted  by  the  dis- 
tant smoke  of  a  camp  fire,  and,  on  stealing  near  to 
reconnoitre,  had  discovered  a  war  party  of  Black- 
feet*  They  had  several  horses  with  them ;  and,  as 
they  generally  go  on  foot  on  warlike  excursions,  it 
was  concluded  that  these  horses  had  been  captured 
in  the  course  of  their  maraudings. 

This  intelligence  awakened  solicitude  on  the 
mind  of  Captain  Bonneville,  for  the  party  of  hunt- 
ers whom  he  had  sent  to  that  neighborhood  ;  and 
the  Nez  Perces,  when  informed  of  the  circum- 
stance, shook  their  heads,  and  declared  their  belief 
that  the  horses  they  had  seen  had  been  stolen  from 
that  very  party. 


■'?>■ 


A- 


if. 


w 


SCOUTING    PARTY. 


113 


B—Difficul- 
— The  card 
siters  to  the 


18  of  the 

ineville's 

meward, 

ordinary 

1.   Their 

prairie. 

the  dis< 

near  to 

Black- 

and,  as 

sions,  it 

iptured 

pn  the 
hunt- 
J;  and 
ircum- 
belief 
n  from 


Anxious  for  information  on  the  subject,  Captain 
Bonneville  despatched  two  hunters  to  beat  up  the 
country  in  that  direction.  They  searched  in  vain; 
not  a  trace  of  the  men  could  be  found;  but  they 
got  into  a  region  destitute  of  game,  where  tiicy 
were  wellnigh  famished.  At  one  time,  they  were 
tiiree  entire  days  without  a  mouthful  of  food ;  at 
length  they  beheld  a  buffalo  grazing  at  the  foot  of  a 
mountain.  After  manoeuvring  so  as  to  get  within 
shot,  they  fired,  but  merely  wounded  him.  He 
took  to  flight,  and  they  followed  him  over  hill  and 
dale,  with  the  eagerness  and  perseverance  of  starv- 
ing men.  A  more  lucky  shot  brought  him  to  the 
ground.  Stanfield  sprang  upon  him,  plunged  his 
knife  into  his  throat,  and  allayed  his  raging  hunger 
by  drinking  his  blood.  A  fire  was  instantly  kin- 
dled beside  the  carcass,  when  the  two  hunters 
cooked,  and  ate  again  and  again,  until,  perfectly 
gorged,  they  sank  to  sleep  before  their  hunting  fire. 
On  the  following  morning  they  rose  early,  made 
another  hearty  meal,  then  loading  themselves  with 
buffalo  meat,  set  out  on  their  return  to  the  camp,  to 
report  the  fruitlcssness  of  their  mission. 

At  length,  after  six  weeks'  absence,  the  hunters 
made  their  appearance,  and  were  received  with  joy, 
proportioned  to  the  anxiety  that  had  been  felt  on 
their  account.  They  had  hunted  with  success  on 
the  prairie,  but,  while  busy  drying  buffalo  meat, 
they  were  joined  by  a  few  panic-stricken  Flatheads, 
who  informed  them  that  a  powerful  band  of  Black- 
feet  were  at  hand.  The  hunters  immediately  aban- 
doned the  dangerous  hunting  ground,  and  accom- 

10*  :^:r 


'  '  ^    I 


^ 


J 


■*. 


llA..         -<t»,-- 


' 


ii 


'M 


in 


ji 


114 


A   CARD   PARTY    INTERRUPTED. 


panied  the  Flatheads  to  their  village.  Here  they 
found  Mr.  Cerr(},  and  the  detachment  of  hunters 
sent  with  him  to  accompany  the  hunting  party  of 
the  Nez  Percys. 

After  remaining  some  time  at  the  village,  until 
they  supposed  the  Blackfeet  to  have  left  the  neigh- 
borhood, they  set  off  with  some  of  Mr.  Cerr^'s  men, 
for  the  cantonment  at  Salmon  river,  where  they 
arrived  without  accident.  They  informed  Captain 
Bonneville,  however,  that  not  far  from  his  quarters, 
they  had  found  a  wallet  of  fresh  meat  and  a  cord, 
which  they  supposed  had  been  left  by  some  prowl- 
ing Blackfeet.  A  few  days  afterwards,  Mr.  Cerrfe, 
witii  the  remainder  of  his  men,  likewise  arrived  at 
the  cantonment. 

Mr.  Walker,  one  of  the  subleaders,  who  had 
gone  with  a  band  of  twenty  hunters,  to  range  the 
country  just  beyond  the  Horse  prairie,  had,  like- 
wise, his  share  of  adventures  with  the  all  pervading 
Blackfeet.  At  one  of  his  encampments,  the  guard 
stationed  to  keep  watch  round  the  camp,  grew 
weary  of  their  duty,  and  feeling  a  little  too  secure, 
and  too  much  at  home  on  these  prairies,  retired  to 
a  small  grove  of  willows,  to  amuse  themselves  with 
a  social  game  of  cards,  called  '*  old  sledge,"  which 
is  as  popular  among  these  trampers  of  the  prairies, 
as  whist  or  ecart6  among  the  polite  circles  of  the 
cities.  From  the  midst  of  their  sport,  they  were 
suddenly  aroused  by  a  discharge  of  fire-arms,  and 
a  shrill  war-whoop.  Starting  on  their  feet,  and 
snatching  up  their  rifles,  they  beheld  in  dismay 
their  horses  and  mules  already  in  possession  of  the 


« 


l!U 


1      'l^' 


-*«. 


.**! 


'  % 


OLD    BLBDGE    A    L08INO    GAME. 


IIA 


of  the 
were 
IS,  and 
t,  and 
ismay 
of  the 


* 
« 


enemy,  who  had  stolen  upon  he  camp  unpcrceived^ 
while  they  were  spell-boum.  by  the  magic  of  old 
sledge.  The  Indians  sprang  upon  the  aninUdt 
barebacked,  and  endeavored  to  urge  them  off,  under 
a  galling  fire,  that  did  some  execution.  The  mules, 
however,  confounded  by  the  hurly-burly,  and  dis- 
liking their  new  riders,  kicked  up  their  heels  and 
dismounted  half  of  them,  in  spite  of  their  horse- 
manship. This  threw  the  rest  into  confusion,  they 
endeavored  to  protect  their  unhorsed  comrades  from 
the  furious  assaults  of  the  whites ;  but,  after  a  scene 
of  "  confusion  worse  confounded,"  horses  and  mules 
were  abandoned,  and  the  Indians  betook  themselves 
to  the  bushes.  Here,  they  quickly  scratched  holes 
in  the  earth,  about  two  feet  deep,  in  which  they 
prostrated  themselves,  and  while  thus  screened  from 
the  shots  of  the  white  men,  were  enabled  to  make 
such  use  of  their  bows  and  arrows,  and  fusees,  as 
to  repulse  their  assailants,  and  to  effect  their  retreat. 
This  adventure  threw  a  temporary  stigma  upon  the 
game  of  "  old  sledge." 

In  the  course  of  the  autumn,  four  Iroquois  hunt- 
ers, driven  by  the  snow  from  their  hunting  grounds, 
made  their  appearance  at  the  cantonment.  They 
were  kindly  welcomed  there,  and  during  their  so- 
journ, made  themselves  useful  in  a  variety  of  ways, 
being  excellent  trappers,  and,  in  every  way,  first- 
rate  woodsmen.  They  were  of  the  remnants  of  a 
party  of  Iroquois  hunters,  that  came  from  Canada 
into  these  mountain  regions  many  years  previously, 
in  the  employ  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 
They  were  led  by  a  brave  chieftain,  named  Pierre, 


I 


J"  ■ 


^■M^ 


■h 


-rTT^"l'"ll!'l',"  JW.I 


■!ii 


■l 


'^f'^ 


116 


HANOING-EAKED   INDIANS. 


who  fell  by  the  hands  of  the  Blackfeet,  and  gave  his 
name  to  the  fated  valley  of  Pierre's  Hole.  This 
branch  of  the  Iroquois  tribe  has  ever  since  remained 
among  these  mountains,  at  mortal  enmity  with  the 
Blackfeet,  and  have  lost  many  of  their  prime  hunt- 
ers in  their  feuds  with  that  ferocious  race.  Some 
of  them  fell  in  with  General  Ashley,  in  the  course 
of  one  of  his  gallant  excursions  into  the  wilderness, 
and  have  continued  ever  since  in  the  employ  of  the 
company. 

Among  the  motley  visiters  to  the  winter  quar- 
ters of  Captain  Bonneville,  was  a  party  of  Pends 
Oreilles,  (or  Hanging-ears)  and  their  chief.  These 
Indians  have  a  strong  resemblance,  in  character 
and  customs,  to  the  Nez  Perces.  They  amount  to 
about  three  hundred  lodges,  and  are  well  armed, 
and  possess  great  numbers  of  horses.  During  the 
spring,  summer,  and  autumn,  they  hunt  the  buffalo 
about  the  head  waters  of  the  Missouri,  Henry's 
fork  of  the  Snake  river,  and  the  northern  branches 
of  Salmon  river.  Their  winter  quarters  are  upon 
the  Racine  Amere,  where  they  subsist  upon  roots 
and  dried  buffalo  meat.  Upon  this  river  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company  have  established  a  trading  post, 
where  the  Pends  Oreilles  and  the  Flatheads  bring 
their  peltries  to  exchange  for  arms,  clothing,  and 
trinkets. 

This  tribe,  like  the  Nez  Perces,  evince  strong 
and  peculiar  feelings  of  natural  piety.  Their  re- 
ligion is  not  a  mere  superstitious  fear,  like  that 
of  most  savages ;  they  evince  abstract  notions  of 
morality ;  a  deep  reverence  for  an  overruling  Spirit, 


rib.  ■ 


^ 


'm 


w  \ 


*: 


'^' 


-r^^ 


iim-.,-:*- 


k^ 


» .'' 


m 


THEIR  PACIFIC   PRINCIPLES. 


in 


■■^■ 


and  a  respect  for  the  rights  of  their  fellow-men. 
In  one  respect,  their  religion  partakes  of  the  pacific 
doctrines  of  the  Quakers.  They  hold  that  the 
Great  Spirit  is  displeased  with  all  nations  who  war- 
tonly  engage  in  war ;  they  abstain,  therefore,  from 
all  aggressive  hostilities.  But  though  thus  unof- 
fending in  their  policy,  they  are  called  upon  con- 
tinually to  wage  defensive  warfare ;  especially  with 
the  Blackfeet ;  with  whom,  in  the  course  of  their 
hunting  expeditions,  they  come  in  frequent  collision, 
and  have  desperate  battles.  Their  conduct  as 
warriors,  is  without  fear  or  reproach,  and  they  can 
never  be  driven  to  abandon  their  hunting  grounds. 
Like  most  savages,  they  are  firm  believers  in 
dreams,  and  in  the  power  and  efficacy  of  charms 
and  amulets,  or  medicines,  as  they  term  them. 
Some  of  their  braves,  also,  who  have  had  numerous 
hairbreadth  'scapes,  like  the  old  Nez  Perc6  chief, 
in  the  battle  of  Pierre's  Hole,  are  believed  to  wear 
a  charmed  life,  and  to  be  bullet  proof.  Of  these 
gifted  beings,  marvellous  anecdotes  are  related, 
which  are  most  potently  believed  by  their  fellow- 
savages,  and  sometimes  almost  credited  by  the 
white  hunters. 


#1 


■''■*. 


1^ 


i^: 


# 


# 


fi»- 


'-K 


118 


RIVAL   TRAPPERS. 


.CHAPTER   XI. 


Rival  trapping  parties — ^Manoeuvring — A  desperate  game — ^Van- 
derburgh and  the  Blackfeet — Deserted  camp  fire — A  dark  defile 
—An  Indian  ambush — A  fierce  mel^e — fatal  consequences — 
Fitzpatrick  and  Bridger — Trappers'  precautions — Meeting  with 
the  Blackfeet — ^More  fighting — Anecdote  of  a  young  Mexican 
and  an  Indian  girl. 


w 


While  Captain  Bonneville  and  his  men  are  so- 
journing among  the  Nez  Percys,  on  Salmon  river, 
we  will  inquire  after  the  fortunes  of  those  doughty 
rivals  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  and  American 
Fur  Companies,  who  started  off  for  the  trapping 
grounds  to  the  north-northwest. 

Fitzpatrick  and  Bridger,  of  the  former  company, 
as  we  have  already  shown,  having  received  their 
supplies,  had  taken  the  lead,  and  hoped  to  have  the 
first  sweep  of  the  hunting  ground.  Vanderburgh 
and  Dripps,  however,  the  two  resident  partners  of 
the  opposite  company,  by  extraordinary  exertions, 
were  enabled  soon  to  put  themselves  upon  their 
traces,  and  pressed  forward  with  such  speed  as  to 
overtake  them  just  as  they  had  reached  the  heart 
of  the  beaver  country.  In  fact,  being  ignorant  of 
the  best  trapping  grounds,  it  was  their  object  to 
follow  on,  and  profit  by  the  superior  knowledge  of 
the  other  party. 


i 


m 


M'< 


•n^    t 


.^.^ 


»»■ 


*s 


RIVAL   TRAPPERS. 


»i       --Mi 

119 


Nothing  could  equal  the  chagrin  of  Fitzpatrick 
and  Bridger,  at  being  dogged  by  their  inexperienced 
rivals ;  especially  after  their  offer  to  divide  the  coun- 
try v^th  them.  They  tried  in  every  way  to  blind 
and  baffle  them;  to  steal  a  march  upon  them,  or 
lead  them  on  a  wrong  scent ;  but  all  in  vain.  Van- 
derburgh made  up  by  activity  and  intelligence,  for 
his  ignorance  of  the  country :  was  always  wary, 
always  on  the  alert;  discovered  every  movement 
of  his  'rivals,  however  secret,  and  was  not  to  be 
eluded  or  misled. 

Fitzpatrick,  and  his  colleague,  now  lost  all  pa- 
tience :  since  flie  others  persisted  in  following  them, 
they  determined  to  give  them  an  unprofitable  chase, 
and  to  sacrifice  the  hunting  season,  rather  than 
share  the  products  with  their  rivals.  They,  accord- 
ing, took  up  their  line  of  march  down  the  course 
of  the  Missouri,  keeping  the  main  Blackfoot  trail, 
and  tramping  doggedly  forward,  without  stopping  to 
set  a  single  trap.  The  others  beat  the  hoof  after 
them  for  some  time,  but  by  degrees  began  to  per- 
ceive that  they  were  on  a  wiTdgoosechase,  and 
that  they  were  getting  into  a  country  perfectly  bar- 
ren to  the  trapper.  They  now  came  tO/a  halt,  and 
bethought  themselves  how  to  make  up  for  lost  time, 
and  to  profit  by  the  remainder  of  the  season.  It 
was  thought  best  to  divide  their  forces  and  try  dif- 
ferent trapping  grounds.  While  Dripps  went  in  one 
direction,  Vanderburgh,  with  about  fifty  men,  pro- 
ceeded in  another.  The  latter,  in  his  headlong 
march,  had  got  into  the  very  heart  of  the  Blackfoot 
country,  yet  seems  to  have  been  unconscious  of  his 


_.j?:. 


■# 


.St 


120 


DESERTED   CAMP   FIRE. 


I     : 
I 


J 


wi 


^^?j«. 


Ivj 


danger.  As  his  scouts  were  out  one  day,  they  came 
upon  the  traces  of  a  recent  band  of  savages.  There 
were  the  deserted  fires  still  smoking,  surrounded  by 
the  carcasses  of  buffaloes  just  killed.  It  was  evi- 
dent a  party  of  Blackfeet  had  been  frightened  from 
their  hunting  camp,  and  had  retreated,  probably  to 
seek  reinforcements.  The  scouts  hastened  back  to 
the  camp,  and  told  Vanderburgh  what  they  had 
seen.  He  made  light  of  the  alarm,  and,  taking 
nine  men  with  him,  galloped  off  to  reconnoitre  for 
himself.  He  found  the  deserted  hunting  camp  just 
as  they  had  represented  it ;  there  lay  the  carcasses 
of  buflfaloes,  partly  dismembered  ;  there  were  the 
smouldering  fires,  still  faintly  sending  up  their 
wreaths  of  smoke  :  every  thing  bore  traces  of  recent 
and  hasty  retreat ;  and  gave  reason  to  believe  that 
the  savages  were  still  lurking  in  the  neighborhood. 
With  needless  daring,  Vanderburgh  put  himself 
upon  their  trail,  to  trace  them  to  their  place  of  con- 
cealment. It  led  him  over  prairies,  and  through 
skirts  of  woodland,  until  it  entered  a  dark  and  dan- 
gerous ravine.  Vanderburgh  pushed  in,  without 
hesitation,  followed  by  his  little  band.  They  soon 
found  themselves  in  a  gloomy  dell,  between  steep 
banks  overhung  with  trees ;  where  the  profound 
silence  was  only  broken  by  the  tramp  of  their  own 
horses. 

Suddenly  the  horrid  war-whoop  burst  on  their 
ears,  mingled  with  the  sharp  report  of  rifles,  and  a 
legion  of  savages  sprang  from  their  concealments, 
yelling,  and  shaking  their  buffalo  robes,  to  frighten 
the    horses.     Vanderburgh's   horse   fell,   mortally 


£.'?%fe 


.  -■; 


% 


"is: 


'M: 


■*mm- 


THE    FATAL    DEFILE. 


w 


Ih 


■:■*. 


wounded  by  the  first  discharge.  In  his  fall,  he 
pinned  his  rider  to  the  ground  ;  who  called  in  vain 
upon  his  men  to  assist  in  extricating  him.  One 
was  shot  down  and  scalped  at  a  few  paces  distance : 
most  of  the  others  were  severely  wounded,  and 
sought  their  safety  in  flight.  The  savages  ap- 
proached to  despatch  the  unfortunate  leader,  as  he 
lay  struggling  beneath  his  horse.  He  had  still  his 
rifle  in  his  hand,  and  his  pistols  in  his  belt.  The 
first  savage  that  advanced  receiyed  the  contents  of 
the  rifle  in  his  breast,  and  fell  dead  upon  the  spot ; 
but  before  Vanderburgh  could  draw  a  pistol,  a  blow 
from  a  tomahawk  laid  him  prostrate,  and  he  was 
despatched  by  repeated  wounds. 
.  Such  was  the  fate  of  Major  Henry  Vanderburgh : 
one  of  the  best  and  worthiest  leaders  of  the  Ameri- 
can Fur  Company;  who,  by  his  manly  bearing 
and  dauntless  courage,  is  said  to  have  made  himself 
universally  popular  among  the  bold-hearted  rovers 
of  the  wilderness. 

Those  of  the  little  band  who  escaped,  fled  in 
consternation  to  the  camp,  and  spread  the  most 
direful  reports  of  the  force  and  ferocity  of  the 
enemy.  The  party,  being  without  a  head,  were  in 
complete  confusion  and  dismay,  and  made  a  pre- 
cipitate retreat,  without  attempting  to  recover  the 
remains  of  their  butchered  leader.  They  made  no 
halt  until  they  reached  an  encampment  of  the  Pends 
Oreillea,  or  Hanging-ears,  where  they  offered  a 
reward  for  the  recovery  of  the  body,  but  without 
success ;  it  never  could  be  found. 

In  the  meantime  Fitzpatrick  and  Bridger,  of  the 
VOL.  r.  11 


■'V-«'- 


y$r 


%?; 


-•'va 


'H: 


i* 


•-^—"■^-•■%.. 


.  *'' 


''^  ■ 


^^ 


fr-:- 


I  '!l 


m 


122 


TKAPPERS     PRECAUTIONS. 


Rdcky  Mountain  Company,  fared  but  little  better 
than  their  rivals.  In  their  eagerness  to  mislead 
them,  they  had  betrayed  themselves  into  danger, 
and  got  into  a  region  infested  with  the  Blackfeet. 
They  soon  found  that  foes  were  on  the  watch  for 
them ;  but  they  were  experienced  in  Indian  warfare, 
and  were  not  to  be  surprised  at  night,  nor  drawn 
into  kn  ambush  in  the  daytime.  As  the  evening 
advanced,  the  horses  were  all  brought  in  and 
picketed,  and  a  guard  stationed  round  the  camp. 
At  the  earliest  streak  of  day  one  of  the  leaders 
would  mount  his  horse,  and  gallop  oif  full  speed  for 
about  half  a  mile  ;  then  look  ro  nd  for  Indian  trails, 
to  ascertain  whether  there  had  been  any  lurkers 
round  the  camp  :  returning  slowly,  he  would  recon- 
noitre every  ravine  and  thicket,  where  there  might 
be  an  ambush.  This  done,  he  would  gallop  off  in 
an  opposite  direction  and  repeat  the  same  scrutiny. 
Finding  all  things  safe,  the  horses  would  be  turned 
loose  to  graze  ;  but  always  under  the  eye  of  a 
guard.  ■  ^^^^^ 

A  caution  equally  vigilant  was  observed  in  the 
march,  on  approaching  any  defile  or  place  where 
an  enemy  might  lie  in  wait ;  and  scouts  were  always 
kept  in  the  advance,  or  along  the  ridges  and  rising 
grounds  on  the  flanks. 

At  length,  one  day,  a  large  band  of  Blackfeet 
,  appeared  in  the  open  field,  but  in  the  vicinity  of 
rocks  and  cliffs.  They  kept  at  a  wary  distance, 
but  made  friendly  signs.  The  trappers  replied  in 
the  same  way,  but  likewise  kept  aloof.  A  small 
party  of  Indians  now  advanced,  bearing  the  pipe 


'% 


■»'% 


•\ 


f*-- 


■^- 


.^t<>f3»...*k 


!f- 


^^.{^■M 


titfMVll    "iffcru"! 


BRID6ER   AND   THE    BLACKFEET. 


123 


■4 


■»'*- 


ir- 


of  peace  :  ihey  were  met  by  an  equal  number  of 
white  men,  and  they  formed  a  group,  midway  be- 
tween the  two  bands,  where  the  pipe  was  circulated 
from  hand  to  hand,  and  smoked  with  all  due  cere- 
mony. An  instance  of  natural  affection  took  place 
at  this  pacific  meeting.  Among  the  free  trappers, 
in  the  Rocky  Mountain  band,  was  a  spirited  young 
Mexican,  named  Loretto ;  who,  in  the  course  of  his 
wanderings,  had  ransomed  a  beautiful  Blackfoot 
girl  from  a  band  of  Crows,  by  whom  she  had  been 
captured.  He  had  made  her  his  wife,  after*  the 
Indian  style,  and  she  had  followed  his  fortunes  ever 
since,  with  the  most  devoted  affection. 

Among  the  Blackfeet  warriors  who  advanced 
wi*^  the  calumet  of  peace,  she  recognised  a  brother. 
Leaving  her  infant  with  Loretto,  she  rushed  forward 
and  threw  herself  upon  her  brother's  neck;  who 
clasped  his  long  lost  sister  to  his  heart,  with  a 
warmth  of  affection  but  little  compatible  with  the 
reputed  stoicism  of  the  savage. 

While  this  scene  was  taking  place,  Bridger  left 
the  main  body  of  trappers,  and  rode  slowly  towards 
the  group  of  smokers,  with  his  rifle  resting  across 
the  pommel  of  his  saddle.  The  chief  of  the  Black- 
feet  stepped  forward  to  meet  him.  From  some 
unfortunate  feeling  of  distrust,  Bridger  cocked  his 
rifle  just  as  the  chief  was  extending  his  hand  in 
friendship.  The  quick  ear  of  ♦he  savage  caught 
the  click  of  the  lock;  in  a  twinkling,  he  grasped 
the  barrel,  forced  the  muzzle  downward,  and  the 
contents  were  discharged  into  the  earth  at  his  feet. 
His  next  movement  was  to  wrest  the  weapon  from 


•"i*?^.: 


^* 


i.-' 
'-%- 


J^ 


*  ^. 


:m 


■4- 


1/ 


■(■:>:s- 


# 


>.,<■(».%■? 


»«Bjii, 


i  I 


■m 


,'"* 


WP*' 


/  ii 


m 


124  LORSTTO   AND   HIS    INDIAN    BRIDE. 


the  hand  of  Bridger,  and  fell  him  with  it  to  the 
earth.  He  might  have  found  this  no  easy  task,  had 
not  the  unfortunate  leader  received  two  arrows  in 
his  back  during  the  struggle. 

The  chief  now  sprang  into  the  vacant  saddle  and 
galloped  off  to  his  band.  A  wild  hurry-scurry 
scene  ensued;  each  party  took  to  the  banks,  the 
rocks,  and  trees,  to  gain  favorable  positions,  and  an 
irregular  firing  was  kept  up  on  either  side,  without 
much  effect.  The  Indian  girl  had  been  hurried  off 
by  her  people,  at  the  outbreak  of  the  affray.  She 
would  have  returned,  through  the  dangers  of  the 
fight,  to  her  husband  and  her  child,  but  was  pre- 
vented by  her  brother.  The  young  Mexican  saw 
her  struggles  and  her  agony,  and  heard  her  piercing 
cries.  With  a  generous  impulse,  he  caught  up  the 
child  in  his  arms,  rushed  forward,  regardless  of 
Indian  shaft  or  rifle,  and  placed  it  in  safety  upon 
her  bosom.  Even  the  savage  heart  of  the  Black- 
foot  chief  was  reached  by  this  noble  deed.  He 
pronounced  Loretto  a  madman  for  his  temerity,  but 
bade  him  depart  in  peace.  The  young  Mexican 
hesitated:  he  urged  to  have  his  wife  restored  to 
him,  but  her  brother  interfered,  and  the  countenance 
of  the  chief  grew  dark.  The  girl,  he  said,  belonged 
to  his  tribe — she  must  remain  with  her  people. 
Loretto  would  still  have  lingered,  but  his  wife  im- 
plored him  to  depart,  lest  his  life  should  be  endan- 
gered. It  was  with  the  greatest  reluctance  that  he 
returned  to  his  companions.  -^ji,*,       ^,.;;. 

The  approach  of  night  put  an  end  to  the  skir- 
mishing fire  of  the  adverse  parties,  and  the  savages 


* 


\ 


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A 


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m 


■^'^■•% 


LORETTO    AND    HIS    INDIAN    BRIDB. 


125 


drew  off  without  renewing  their  hostilities.  We 
cannot  but  remark,  that  both  in  this  affair,  and  in 
that  at  Pierre's  Hole,  the  affray  commenced  by  a 
hostile  act  on  the  part  of  white  men,  at  the  moment 
when  the  Indian  warrior  was  extending  the  hand  of 
amity.  In  neither  instance,  as  far  as  circumstances 
have  been  stated  to  us  by  different  persons,  do  we 
see  any  reason  to  suspect  the  savage  chiefs  of  per- 
fidy in  their  overtures  of  friendship.  They  ad- 
vanced in  the  confiding  way,  usual  among  Indians, 
when  they  bear  the  pipe  of  peace,  and  consider 
themselves  sacred  from  attack.  If  we  violate  the 
sanctity  of  this  ceremonial,  by  any  hostile  move- 
ment on  our  part,  it  is  we  that  incur  the  charge  of 
faithlessness ;  and  we  doubt  not,  that  in  both  these 
instances,  the  white  men  have  been  considered  by 
the  Blackfeet  as  the  aggressors,  and  have,  in  conse- 
quence, been  held  up  as  men  not  to  be  trusted. 

A  word  to  conclude  the  romantic  incident  of 
Loretto  and  his  Indian  bride.  A  few  months  sub- 
sequent to  the  event  just  related,  the  young  Mexi- 
can settled  his  accounts  with  the  Rocky  Mountain 
Company,  and  obtained  his  discharge.  He  then 
left  his  comrades  and  set  off  to  rejoin  his  wife  and 
child  among  her  people  ;  and  wc  understand  that, 
at  the  time  we  are  writing  these  pages,  he  resides 
at  a  trading-house  established  of  late  by  the  Ameri- 
can Fur  Company,  in  the  Blackfoot  country,  where 
he  acts  as  an  interpreter,  and  has  his  Indian  girl 
with  him. 


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126 


A   WINTER   CANTONMENT. 


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CHAPTER    XII. 


■Jte 


A  winter  camp  in  the  wilderness — Medley  of  trappers,  hunters,  and 
Indians — Scarcity  of  game — New  arrangements  in  the  camp — 
Detachments  sent  to  a  distance — Carelessness  of  the  Indians 
when  encamped — Sickness  among  the  Indians — Excellent  char- 
acter of  the  Nez  Percys — The  captain's  cflbrt  as  a  pacificator— 
A  Nez  Percy's  argument  in  fuvor  of  war — Robberies  by  the  Black- 
feet — Long  sufiering  of  the  Nez  Percys — A  hunter's  elysium 
among  the  mountains — More  robberies — The  captain  preachoB 
up  a  crusade — The  eflfect  upon  his  hearers. 

For  the  greater  part  of  the  month  of  November, 
Captain  Bonneville  remained  in  his  temporary  post 
on  Salmon  river.  He  was  now  in  the  full  enjoy- 
ment of  his  wishes ;  leading  a  hunter's  life  in  the 
heart  of  the  wilderness,  with  all  its  wild  populace 
around  him.  Beside  his  own  people,  motley  in 
character  and  costume  :  Creole,  Kentuckian,  Indian, 
half-breed,  hired  trapper,  and  free  trapper :  he  was 
surrounded  by  encampments  of  Nez  Percys  and 
Flatheads,  with  their  droves  of  horses  covering  the 
hills  and  plains.  It  was,  he  declares,  a  wild  and 
bustling  scene.  The  hunting  parties  of  white  men 
and  red  men,  continually  sallying  forth  and  return- 
ing ;  the  groups  at  the  various  encampments,  some 
cooking,  some  working,  some  amusing  themselves 
at  different  games ;  the  neighing  of  horses,  the 
braying  of  asses,  the  resounding  strokes  of  the  axe, 


t 


m^ 


% 


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.iii>^aii«iirit>>iiiiii'ii'i''i'ii'i'iii  illifrrii 


X..: 


.  ^ 


%^ 


■.«* 


INDIAN    HORSES. 


127 


the  sharp  report  of  the  rifle,  the  whoop,  the  halloo, 
and  the  frequent  burst  of  laughter,  all  in  the  midst 
of  a  region  suddenly  roused  from  perfect  silence 
and  loneliness  by  this  transient  hunters'  sojourn, 
realized,  he  says,  the  idea  of  a  '*  populous  solitude." 

The  kind  and  genial  character  of  the  captain  had, 
evidently,  its  influence  on  the  opposite  races  thus 
fortuitously  congregated  together.  The  most  per- 
fect harmony  prevailed  between  them.  The  In- 
dians, he  says,  were  friendly  in  their  dispositions, 
and  honest  to  the  most  scrupulous  degree,  in  their 
intercourse  with  the  white  men.  It  is  true,  they 
were  somewhat  importunate  in  their  curiosity,  and 
apt  to  be  continually  in  the  way,  examining  every 
thing  with  keen  and  prying  eye,  and  watching  every 
movement  of  the  white  men,  All  this,  however, 
was  borne  with  great  good-humor  by  the  captain, 
and  through  his  example,  by  his  men.  Indeed, 
throughout  all  his  transactions,  he  shows  himself 
the  friend  of  the  poor  Indians,  and  his  conduct 
towards  them  is  above  all  praise. 

The  Nez  Percys,  the  Flatheads,  and  the  Hang- 
ing-ears, pride  themselves  upon  the  number  of  their 
horses,  of  which  they  possess  more  in  proportion, 
than  any  other  of  the  mountain  tribes  within  the 
buiSalo  range.  Many  of  the  Indian  wairiors  and 
hunters,  encamped  around  Captain  Bonneville,  pos- 
sess from  thirty  to  forty  horses  each.  Their  horses 
are  stout,  well  built  ponies,  of  great  wind,  and 
capable  of  enduring  the  severest  hardship  and  fa- 
tigue. The  swiftest  of  them,  however,  are  those 
obtained  from  the  whites,  while  sufficiently  young 


Si^^ 


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A. 


128         DISTRIBUTION    OF    HUNTING    PARTIES. 

to  become  acclimated  and  inured  to  the  rough  ser-  • 
vice  of  the  mountains. 

By  degrees,  the  populousness  of  this  encamp- 
ment began  to  produce  its  inconveniences.  The 
immense  droves  of  horses,  owned  by  liie  Indians, 
consumed  the  herbage  of  the  surrounding  hills ; 
while,  to  drive  them  to  any  distant  pasturage,  in  a 
neighborhood  abounding  with  lurking  and  deadly 
enemies,  would  be  to  endanger  the  loss,  both  of  man 
and  beast.  Game,  too,  began  to  grow  scarce.  It 
was  soon  hunted  and  frightened  out  of  the  vicinity, 
and  though  the  Indians  made  a  wide  circuit  through 
the  mountains,  in  the  hope  of  driving  the  buffalo 
towards  the  cantonment,  their  expedition  was  un- 
successful. It  was  plain  that  so  large  a  party 
could  not  subsist  themselves  there,  nor  in  any  one 
place,  throughout  the  winter.  Captain  Bonneville, 
therefore,  altered  his  whole  arrangements.  He  de- 
tached fifty  men  towards  the  south,  to  winter  upon 
Snake  river,  and  to  trap  about  its  waters  in  the 
spring,  with  orders  to  rejoin  him  in  the  month  of  . 
July,  at  Horse  creek,  in  Green  river  valley,  which 
he  had  fixed  upon  as  the  general  rendezvous  of  his 
company  for  the  ensuing  year. 

Of  all  his  late  party,  he  now  retained  with  him 
merely  a  small  number  of  free  trappers,  with  whom 
he  intended  to  sojourn  among  the  Nez  Perces  and 
Flatheads,  and  adopt  the  Indian  mode  of  moving 
with  the  game  and  grass.  Those  bands,  in  effect, 
shortly  afterwards  broke  up  their  encampments 
and  set  off  for  a  less  beaten  neighborhood.  Captain 
Bonneville  remained  behind  for  a  lew  days,  that . 


''!" 

i.  i 

■I 

\ 

K 

.  :.'^, 

t. 

.^v^.,..  , 

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■^-f^i-  ...y' 


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,  in  a 


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INDIAN    HORSES    IN   CAMP. 


139 


he  might  secretly  prepare  caches^  in  wliioh  he  de- 
j)osited  every  thing  that  was  not  required  for  cur- 
rent use.  Thus  hghtened  of  all  siiperfluou«  incum- 
brance, he  set  off  on  the  20th  of  November  to  rejoin 
his  Indian  allies.  He  found  them  encamped  in  a 
secluded  part  of  the  country,  at  the  head  of  a  small 
stream.  Considering  themselves  out  of  all  danger 
in  this  sequestered  spot,  from  their  old  enemies,  the 
Blackfeet,  their  encampment  manifested  the  most 
negligent  security.  Their  lodges  were  scattered  in 
every  direction,  and  their  horses  covered  every  hill 
for  a  great  distance  round,  grazing  upon  the  upland 
bunch  grass,  which  grew  in  great  abundance,  c.d 
though  dry,  retained  its  nutritious  properties,  instea*' 
of  losing  them,  like  other  grasses,  in  the  autumn. 

When  the  Nez  Percys,  Flatheads,  and  Penda 
Oreilles  are  encamped  in  a  dangerous  neighbor- 
hood, says  Captain  Bonneville,  the  greatest  care  is 
taken  of  their  horses,  those  prime  articles  of  Indian 
wealth,  and  objects  of  Indian  depredation.  Each 
warrior  has  his  horse  tied  by  one  foot  at  night,  to  a 
stake  planted  before  his  lodge.  Here  they  remain 
until  broad  daylight ;  by  that  time,  the  young  men 
of  the  camp  are  already  ranging  over  the  surround- 
ing hills.  Each  family  then  drives  its  horses  to 
some  eligible  spot,  where  they  are  left  to  graze 
unattended.  A  young  Indian  repairs  occasionally 
to  the  pasture,  to  give  them  water,  and  to  see  that 
all  is  well.  So  accustomed  are  the  horses  to  this 
management,  that  they  keep  together  in  the  pasture 
where  they  have  been  left.  As  the  sun  sinks  be- 
hind the  hills,  they  may  be  seen  moving  from  all 


iSVi.; 


Mi 


'■k 


,>• 


130 


INDIAN    HORSES    IN    CAMP. 


V    ■ 


!  t.;n 


r- 


15:  t 


V* 


>  - 


points  towards  the  camp,  where  they  surrender 
themselves,  to  be  tied  up  for  the  night.  Even  in 
sitiiations  of  danger,  the  Indians  rarely  set  guards 
over  their  camp  at  night,  intrusting  that  office  en- 
tirely to  their  vigilant  and  well  trained  dogs. 

In  an  encampment,  however,  of  such  fancied 
security  as  that  in  which  Captain  Bonneville  found 
his  Indian  friends,  much  of  these  precautions  with 
respect  to  their  horses  are  omitted.  They  merely 
drive  them,  at  nightfall,  to  some  sequestered  little 
dell,  and  leave  them  there,  at  perfect  liberty,  until 
the  morning.  i. 

One  object  of  Captain  Bonneville  in  wintering 
among  these  Indians,  was  to  procure  a  supply  of 
horses  against  the  spring.  They  were,  however, 
extremely  unwilling  to  part  with  any,  and  it  was 
with  great  difficulty  that  he  purchased,  at  the  rate 
of  twenty  dollars  each,  a  few  for  the  use  of  some 
of  his  free  trappers,  who  were  on  foot,  and  depend- 
ant on  him  for  their  equipment. 

In  this  encampment.  Captain  Bonneville  remained 
from  the  21st  of  November  to  the  9th  of  December. 
During  this  period,  the  thermometer  ranged  from 
thirteen  to  forty-two  degrees.  There  were  occa- 
sional falls  of  snow ;  but  it  generally  melted  away 
almost  immediately,  and  the  tender  blades  of  new 
grass  began  to  shoot  up  among  the  old.  On  the 
7th  of  December,  however,  the  thermometer  fell  to 
seven  degrees. 

The  reader  will  recollect  that,  on  distributing  his 
forces,  when  in  Green  river  valley.  Captain  Bonne- 
ville had  detached  a  party,  headed  by  a  leader  of 


^ 


*( 


.'iftt.' 


SB, 


*■    /■ 


'^ 


# 


.    if  lit 


SICKNESS   AMONG   THE   INDIANS. 


131 


^*  the  name  of  Matthieu,  with  all  the  weak  and  dis- 
abled horses,  to  sojourn  about  Bear  river,  meet  the 
Shoshonie  bands,  and  afterwards  to  rejoin  him  at 
his  winter  camp  on  Salmon  river. 

More  than  sufficient  time  had  elapsed,  yet  Mat- 
thieu failed  to  make  his  appearance,  and  uneasiness 
began  to  be  felt  on  his  account.  Captain  Bonne- 
ville sent  out  four  men,  to  range  the  country  through 
which  he  would  have  to  pass,  and  endeavor  to  get 
some  information  concerning  him ;  for  his  route  lay 
across  the  great  Snake  river  plain,  which  spreads 
itself  out  like  an  Arabian  desert,  and  on  which  a 
cavalcade  could  be  descried  at  a  great  distance. 
,The  scouts  soon  returned,  having  proceeded  no 
further  than  the  edge  of  the  plain  ;  pretending  that 
their  horses  were  lame,  but  it  was  evident  they  had 
feared  to  venture,  with  so  small  a  force,  into  these 
exposed  and  dangerous  regions. 

A  disease,  which  Captain  Bonneville  supposed 
to  be  pneumonia,  now  appeared  among  the  Indians 
and  made  great  ravages ;  carrying  off  numbers  of 
.^  them,  after  an  illness  of  three  or  four  days.  The 
worthy  captain  administered  to  them  as  a  physician, 
prescribing  profuse  sweatings  and  copious  bleed- 
ings, and  uniformly  with  success,  if  the  patient  was 
subsequently  treated  with  proper  care.  In  extraor- 
dinary cases,  the  poor  savages  called  in  the  aid  of 
their  own  doctors  or  conjurors,  who  officiated  with 
great  noise  and  mummery,  but  with  little  benefit. 
Those  who  died  during  this  epidemic,  were  buried 
in  graves,  after  the  manner  of  the  whites,  but  with- 
out any  regard  to  the  direction  of  the  head.     It  is  a 


■%• 


■^%;"' 


^ 


--'-^f'-- 

»«,^ 


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■*,-:     •       *•: 


132 


THE    CAPTAIN   A    PACIFICATOR. 


•     '(■ 


«*  -^ 


i  », 


'i«^* 


'  H 


Y'^'f 


fact  worthy  of  notice,  that,  while  this  malady  made 
such  ravages  among  the  natives,  not  a  single  white 
man  had  the  slightest  symptom  of  it.  i  ;**#.: 

A.  familiar  intercourse  of  some  standing  with  the 
Pierced-nose  and  Flathead  Indians,  had  now  con- 
vinced Captain  Bonneville  of  their  amicable  and 
inoffensive  character;  he  began  to  take  a  strong 
interest  in  them,  and  conceived  the  idea  of  becom 
ing  a  pacificator,  and  healing  the  deadly  feud  be- 
tween them  and  the  Blackfeet,  in  which  they  were 
so  deplorably  the  sufferers.  He  proposed  the  mat-' 
ter  to  some  of  the  leaders,  and  urged  that  they 
should  meet  the  Blackfeet  chiefs  in  a  grand  pacific 
conference,  offering  to  send  two  of  his  men  to  the 
enemy's  camp  with  pipe,  tobacco,  and  flag  of  truce, 
to  negotiate  the  proposed  meeting. 

The  Nez  Percys  and  Flathead  sages,  upon  this, 
held  a  council  of  war  of  two  days  duration,  in  which 
there  was  abundance  of  hard  smoking  and  long 
talking,  and  both  eloquence  and  tobacco  were  nearly 
exhausted.  At  length  they  came  to  a  decision  to 
reject  the  worthy  captain's  proposition,  and  upon 
pretty  substantial  grounds,  as  the  reader  may  judge. 

"  War,"  said  the  chiefs,  "  is  a  bloody  busine  s, 
and  full  of  evil ;  but  it  keeps  the  eyes  of  the  chiefs 
always  open,  and  makes  the  limbs  of  the  young 
men  strong  and  supple.  In  war,  every  one  is  on 
the  alert.  If  we  see  a  trail,  we  know  it  must  be 
an  enemy ;  if  the  Blackfeet  come  to  us,  we  know 
it  is  for  war,  and  we  are  ready.  Peace,  on  the 
other  hand,  sounds  no  alarm  ;  the  eyes  of  the  chiefs 
are  closed  in  sleep,  and  the  young  men  are  sleek 


*- 
•#», 


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4^^' .f 


INDIAN  REASONS   FOR  WAR. 


133 


«. 

V 


■M^ 


and  lazy.  The  horses  stray  into  the  mountains ;  the 
women  and  their  little  babes  go  about  alone.  But 
the  heart  of  a  Blackfoot  is  a  lie,  and  his  tongue  is  a 
trap.  If  he  says  peace,  it  is  to  deceive ;  he  comes 
to  us  as  a  brother :  he  smokes  the  pipe  with  us ;  but 
when  he  sees  us  weak,  and  off  of  our  guard,  he 
will  slay  and  steal.  We  will  have  no  such  peace  ; 
let  there  be  war !" 

With  this  reasoning.  Captain  Bonneville  was  fain 
to  acquiesce ;  but,  since  the  sagacious  Flatheads 
and  their  allies  were  content  to  remain  in  a  state  of 
warfare,  he  wished  them,  at  least,  to  exercise  the 
boasted  vigilance  which  war  was  to  produce,  and 
to  keep  their  eyes  open-  He  represented  to  them 
the  impossibility,  that  i>vo  uch  considerable  clans 
could  move  about  the  co;  -^  without  leaving  trails 
by  which  they  might  be  traced.  Besides,  among 
the  Blackfeet  braves  were  several  Nez  Perces,  who 
had  been  taken  prisoners  in  early  youth,  adopted 
by  their  captors,  and  trained  up  and  imbued  with 
warlike  and  predatory  notions;  these  had  lost  all 
sympathies  with  their  native  tribe,  and  would  be 
prone  to  lead  the  enemy  to  their  secret  haunts. 
He  exhorted  them,  therefore,  to  keep  upon  the 
alert,  and  never  to  remit  their  vigilance,  while 
within  the  range  of  so  crafty  and  cruel  a  foe.  All 
these  counsels  were  lost  upon  his  easy  and  simple 
minded  hearers.  A  careless  indiiference  reigned 
throughout  their  encampments,  and  their  horses 
were  permitted  to  range  the  hills  af  night  in  perfect 
freedom.  Captain  Bonneville  had  his  own  horses 
brought  in  at  night,   and  properly  picketed  and 

VOL.   I.  12 


i 


^-^■.     (■ 


•^«  '•- 


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m 


V  i 


>^' 


134 


DEFREDAtlONS. 


*« 


Li 


# 


guarded.  The  evil  he  apprehended  soon  took 
place.  In  a  single  night,  a  swoop  was  made 
through  the  neighboring  pastures  by  the  Blackfeet, 
and  eighty-six  of  the  finest  horses  carried  off.  A 
whip  and  a  rope  were  left  in  a  conspicuous  situa- 
tion by  the  robbers,  as  a  taunt  to  the  simpletons 
they  had  unhorsed. 

Long  before  sunrise,  the  news  of  this  calamity 
spread  like  \irildfire  through  the  different  encamp- 
ments. Captain  Bonneville,  whose  own  horses 
remained  safe  at  their  pickets,  watched  in  moment- 
ary expectation  of  an  outbreak  of  warriors,  Pierced- 
nose  and  Flathead,  in  furious  pursuit  of  the  maraud- 
ers ;  but  no  such  thing — they  contented  themselves 
with  searching  diligently  over  hill  and  dale,  to 
glean  up  such  horses  as  had  escaped  the  hands  of 
the  marauders,  and  then  resigned  themselves  to 
their  loss  with  the  most  exemplary  quiescence. 

Some,  it  is  true,  who  were  entirely  unhorsed,  set 
out  on  a  begging  visit  to  their  cousins,  as  they  call 
them,  the  Lower  Nez  Perc6s,  who  inhabit  the  lower 
country  about  the  Columbia,  and  possess  horses  in 
abundance.  To  these  they  repair  when  in  diffi- 
culty, and  seldom  fail,  by  dint  of  begging  and  bar- 
tering, to  get  themselves  once  more  mounted  on 
horseback. 

Game  had  now  become  scarce  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  camp,  and  it  was  necessary,  according 
to  Indian  custom,  to  move  off  to  a  less  beaten 
ground.  Captain  Bonneville  proposed  the  Horse 
prairie ;  but  his  Indian  friends  objected,  that-  many 
of  the  Nez  Percys  had  gone  to  visit  t^eir  cousins, 


^K 


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4-     * 


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mit 


.Vi- 


A  hunter's  eltsium.  133 

and  that  the  whites  were  few  in  number,  so  that 
their  united  force  was  not  sufficient  to  venture  upon 
the  buffalo  grounds,  which  were  infested  by  bands 
of  Blackfeet. 

They  now  spoke  of  a  ]  ace  at  no  great  distance, 
which  they  represented  as  a  perfect  hunter's  ely- 
sium.  It  was  on  the  right  brancli,  or  head  stream 
of  the  river,  locked  up  among  cliffs  and  precipices, 
where  there  was  no  danger  from  roving  bands,  and 
where  the  Blackfeet  dare  not  enter.  Here,  they 
said,  the  elk  abounded,  and  the  mountain  sheep 
were  to  be  seen  trooping  upon  the  rocks  and  hills. 
A  little  distance  beyond  it,  also,  herds  of  buffalo 
were  to  be  met  with,  out  of  the  range  of  danger. 
Thither  they  proposed  to  move  their  camp. 

The  proposition  pleased  the  captain,  who  was 
desirous,  through  the  Indians,  of  becoming  ac- 
quainted with  all  the  secret  places  of  the  land. 
Accordingly,  on  the  9th  of  December,  they  struck 
their  tents,  and  moved  forward  by  short  stages,  as 
many  of  the  Indians  were  yet  feeble  from  the  late 
malady. 

Following  up  the  right  fork,  of  the  river,  they 
came  to  where  it  entered  a  deep  gorge  of  the  moun- 
tains, up  which,  lay  the  secluded  region  so  much 
vaunted  by  the  Indians.  Captain  Bonneville  halted, 
and  encamped  for  three  days,  before  entering  the 
gorge.  In  the  meantime,  he  detached  five  of  his 
free  trappers  to  scour  the  hills  and  kill  as  many  elk 
as  possible,  before  the  main  body  should  enter,  as 
they  would  then  be  soon  frightened  away  by  the 
various  Indian  hunting  parties. 


J? 


a*. 


^'^''  '• 


'ft-m 


m 


j^>\ 


Mr^ 


^' 


136 


BLACKFOOT   MARAUDING. 


, 


While  thus  encamped,  they  were  still  liable  to 
the  marauds  of  the  Blackfeet,  and  Captain  Bonne- 
ville admonished  his  Indian  friends  to  be  upon  their 
guard.  The  Nez  Percys,  however,  notwithstand- 
ing their  recent  loss,  were  still  careless  of  their 
horses;  merely  driving  them  to  some  secluded 
spot,  and  leaving  them  there  for  the  night,  without 
setting  any  guard  upon  them.  The  consequence 
was  a  second  swoop,  in  which  forty-one  were  car- 
ried oflf.  This  was  borne  with  equal  philosophy 
with  the  first,  and  no  effort  was  made  either  to 
recover  the  horses,  or  to  take  vengeance  on  the 
thieves. 

The  Nez  Percys,  however,  grew  more  cautious 
with  respect  to  their  remaining  horses,  driving  them 
regularly  to  the  camp  every  evening,  and  fastening 
them  to  pickets.  Captain  Boniieville,  however,  told 
them  that  this  was  not  enough.  It  was  evident 
they  were  dogged  by  a  daring  and  persevering 
enemy,  who  was  encouraged  by  past  impunity; 
they  should,  therefore,  take  more  than  usual  pre- 
cautions, and  post  a  guard  at  night  over  their  cavalry. 
They  could  not,  however,  be  persuaded  to  depart 
from  their  usual  custom.  The  horse  once  picketed, 
the  care  of  the  owner  was  over  for  the  night,  and 
he  slept  profoundly.  None  waked  in  the  camp 
but  the  gamblers,  who,  absorbed  in  their  play,  were 
more  difficult  to  be  roused  to  external  circumstances 
than  even  the  sleepers.  ^_         r 

The  Blackfeet  are  bold  enemies,  and  fond  of 
hazardous  exploits.  The  band  that  were  hovering 
about  the  neighborhood,  finding  they  had  such  pacific 


4k 


1^     V 


^^ 


I  ■ : 


V 


V? 

p 


■*'qjjj*>finr»--^y»  vgigjq 


f? 


*WllK 


'^'4?/** 


T,      • 


H 


^1 


*«»fw. 


# 


■'^ 


AN    ENEMY    IN   THE    CAMP. 


137 


•■m:. 


people  to  deal  with,  redoubled  their  daring.  The 
horses  being  now  picketed  before  the  lodges,  a 
number  of  Blackfeet  scouts  penetrated  in  the  early 
part  of  the  night,  into  the  very  centre  of  the  camp. 
Here  they  went  about  among  the  lodges,  as  calmly 
and  deliberately  as  if  at  home,  quietly  cutting  loose 
the  horses  that  stood  picketed  by  the  lodges  of 
their  sleeping  owners.  One  of  these  prowlers, 
more  adventurous  than  the  rest,  approached  a  fire, 
round  which  a  group  of  Nez  Percys  were  gambling 
with  the  most  intense  eagerness.  Here  he  stood 
for  some  lime,  muffled  up  in  his  robe,  peering  over 
the  shoulders  of  the  players,  watching  the  changes 
of  their  countenances  and  the  fluctuations  of  the 
game.  So  completely  engrossed  were  they,  that 
the  presence  of  this  muffled  eavesdropper  was  un- 
noticed, and  having  executed  his  bravado,  he  retired 
undiscovered. 

Having  cut  loose  as  many  horses  as  they  could 
conveniently  carry  oiF,  the  Blackfeet  scouts  rejoined 
their  comrades,  and  all  remained  patiently  round 
the  camp.  By  degrees,  the  horses,  finding  them- 
selves at  liberty,  took  their  route  towards  their 
customary  grazing  ground.  As  they  emerged  from 
the  camp,  they  were  silently  taken  possession  of, 
until,  having  secured  about  thirty,  the  Blackfeet 
sprang  on  their  backs  and  scampered  off.  The 
clatter  of  hoofs  startled  the  gamblers  from  their 
game.  They  gave  the  alarm,  which  soon  roused 
the  sleepers  from  every  lodge.  Still  all  was  quies- 
cent ;  no  marshalling  of  forces,  no  saddling  of  steed 
and  dashing  ofl*  in  pursuit,  no  talk  of  retribution  for 


■^ 


12^ 


m 


¥ 


-.^. 
#. 


"%^. 


.^ 


i"^ 


■Sfi 


w 


%; 


W.J- 


"^.  * 


K%' 


«•« 


1^    ! 


Ids 


THE   captain's   WAR   SPEECH. 


4 


.«   ;*'■ 


J-il.      '  ■  *•* 


|!  ■ 


. 


their  repeated  outrages.  The  patience  of  Captain 
Bonneville  was  at  length  exhausted.  He  had  played 
the  part  of  a:  pacificator  without  success ;  he  now 
altered  his  tone,  and  resolved,  if  possible,  to  rouse 
their  war  spirit. 

Accordingly,  convoking  their  chiefs,  he  inveighed 
against  their  craven  policy,  and  urged  the  necessity 
of  vigorous  and  retributive  measures,  that  would 
check  the  confidence  and  presumption  of  their 
enemies,  if  not  inspire  them  with  awe.  For  this 
purpose,  he'  advised  that  a  war  party  should  be  im- 
mediately sent  off  on  the  trail  of  the  marauders,  to 
follow  them,  if  necessary,  into  the  very  heart  of  the 
Blackfoot  country,  and  not  to  leave  them  until  they 
had  taken  signal  vengeance.  Beside  this,  he  re- 
commended the  organization  of  minor  war  parties, 
to  make  reprisals  to  the  extent  of  the  losses  sus- 
tained. "  Unless  you  rouse  yourselves  from  your 
apathy,"  said  he,  "  and  strike  some  bold  and  de- 
,  cisive  blow,  you  will  cease  to  be  considered  men, 
or  objects  of  manly  warfare.  The  very  squaws 
and  children  of  the  Blackfeet  will  be  sent  against 
you,  while  their  warriors  reserve  themselves  for 
nobler  antagonists."  '•  >  '  '  >  ■■   '    >/  ^..  -  =;   \:  .  ' 

This  harangue  had  evidently  a  momentary  effect 
upon  the  pride  of  the  hearers.  After  a  short  pause, 
however,  one  of  the  orators  arose.  It  was  bad, 
he  said,  to  go  to  war  for  mere  revenge.  The 
Great  Spirit  had  given  them  a  heart  for  peace,  not 
for  war.  They  had  lost  horses,  it  was  true,  but 
they  could  easily  get  others  from  their  cousins,  the 
Lower  Nez  Percys,  without  incurring  any  risk ; 


m 


ff^ 

*■ 


^v* 


S% 


■'-^;:^t:_ 


mtStii 


m. 


M 


?«  ■'*.^ 


■%0i: 


M. 


■**J* 


S- 


■'S^ 


-;>il. 


ITS   EFFECT. 


139 


'I 


"^^ 


:  whereas,  in  war  they  should  lose  men,  who  were 
not  so  r'^'adily  replaced.  As  to  their  late  losses^an 
increased  watchfulness  would  prevent  any  more 
misfortunes  of  the  kind.  He  disapproved,  there- 
fore, of  all  hostile  measures ;  and  all  the  other 
chiefs  concurred  in  his  opinion. 

Captain  Bonneville  again  took  up  the  point.    "  It 
is  true,"  said  he,  "  the  Great  Spirit  has  given  you  a 
heart  to  love  your  friends ;  but  he  has  also  given 
'  you  an  arm  to  strike  your  enemies.     Unless  you 
do  something  speedily  to  put  an  end  to  this  con- 
tinual plundering,  I  must  say  farewell.    As  yet,  I 
have  sustained  no  loss ;  thanks  to  the  precautions 
'    which  you  have  slighted :  but  my  property  is  too 
unsafe  here ;  my  turn  will  come  next ;  I  and  my 
people  will  share  the  contempt  you  are  bringing 
upon  yourselves,  and  will  be  thought,  like  you, 
poor-spirited  beings,  who  may  at  any  time  be  plun- 
^^  dered  with  impunity." 

The  conference  broke  up  with  some  signs  of 
excitement  on  the  part  of  the  Indians.  Early  the 
next  morning,  a  party  of  thirty  men  set  oflf  in  pursuit 
of  the  foe,  and  Captain  Bonneville  hoped  to  hear  a 
good  account  of  the  Blackfeet  marauders.  To  his 
disappointment,  the  war  party  came  lagging  back  on 
#  the  following  day,  leading  a  few  old,  broken-down, 
and  sorry  horses,  which  the  freebooters  had  not 
been  able  to  urge  to  sufficient  speed.  This  effort 
exhausted  the  martial  spirit,  and  satisfied  the 
wounded  pride  of  the  Nez  Percys,  and  they  re- 
lapsed into  their  usual  state  of  passive  indifference. 


•ff;.- 


&:-^: 


A 


'^^ 


M:^ 


-^ 


X. 


^^lsfii-.:V      , 


#> 


% 


»'. 


:.;^ci 


p 


M 


**^, 


7" 


140 


STORY    OF    K08AT0. 


'.  ■  *"  '  '  .* 


jA*'-''.'^'  ■•.     f.    f-''   ^'    ^•^..■'-^■« 


CHAPTER    XIII. 


i^'^. 


STORY  OP  KOSATO,  THE  RENEGADE  BLACKFOOT. 


.  **>.',.■  ■? 


If  the  meekness  and  longsiiflfering  of  the  Pierced- 
noses  grieved  the  spirit  of  Captain  Bonneville, 
there  was  another  individual  in  the  camp,  to  whom 
they  were  still  more  annoying.  This  was  a  Black- 
foot  renegado,  named  Kosato,  a  fiery,  hot-blooded 
youth,  who,  with  a  beautiful  girl  of  the  same  tribe, 
had  taken  refuge  among  the  Nez  Perces.  Though 
adopted  into  the  tribe,  he  still  retained  the  fierce, 
warlike  spirit  of  his  race,  and  loathed  the  peaceful, 
inoffensive  habits  of  those  around  him.  The  hunt- 
ing of  the  deer,  the  elk,  and  the  buffalo,  which  was 
the  height  of  their  ambition,  was  too  tame  to  satisfy 
his  wild  and  restless  nature.  His  heart  burned  for 
the  foray,  the  ambush,  the  skirmish,  the  scamper, 
and  all  the  haps  and  hazards  of  roving  and  preda- 
tory warfare. 

The  recent  hoverings  of  the  Blackfeet  about  the 
camp,  their  nightly  prowls,  and  daring  and  success- 
ful marauds,  had  kept  him  in  a  fever  and  a  flutter ; 
like  a  hawk  in  a  cage,  who  hears  his  late  com- 
panions  swooping  and  screaming  in  wild  liberty 


i     ^tI^* 


jif 


^  * 


'V   - 
^•n     - 


■■9' 


*         • 


.# 


^r 


ill    •„ 


^ 


H; 


ed- 

lle, 

om 

ck- 

led  ,\ 

ibe, 

^gh      . 

ce, 

ful, 

nt- 

^as 

sfy 

for 

•er, 

ia-    ^ 


,  ^i* 


^ 


^•!^, ' 
'^C, 


■^.^ 


STORY    OP   KOSATO. 


141 


above  him.  The  attempt  of  Captain  Bonneville  to 
rouse  the  war  spirit  of  the  Ncz  Percfes,  and  prompt 
them  to  retaliation,  was  ardently  seconded  by  Ko- 
sato.  For  several  days  he  was  incessantly  devising 
schemes  of  vengeance,  and  endeavoring  to  set  on 
foot  an  expedition  that  should  carry  dismay  and 
desolation  into  the  Blackfeet  towns.  All  his  art 
was  exerted  to  touch  upon  those  fierce  springs  of 
human  action  with  which  he  was  most  familiar. 
He  drew  the  listening  savages  around  him  by  his 
nervous  eloquence;  taunted  them  with  recitals  of 
past  wrongs  and  insults;  drew  gloAving  pictures 
of  triumphs  and  trophies  within  their  reach ;  re- 
counted tales  of  daring  and  romantic  enter^jrise ; 
of  secret  marchings ;  covert  lurkings ;  midnight 
surprisals ;  sackings,  burnings,  plunderings,  scalp- 
ings  :  together  with  the  triumphant  return,  and  the 
feasting  and  rejoicing  of  the  victors.  These  wild 
tales  were  intermingled  with  the  beating  of  the 
drum ;  the  yell,  the  war-whoop  and  the  war-dance, 
so  inspiring  to  Indian  valor.  All,  however,  were 
lost  upon  the  peaceful  spirits  of  his  hearers  :  not  a 
Nez  Perc6  was  to  be  roused  to  vengeance,  or  stimu- 
lated to  glorious  war.  In  the  bitterness  of  his  heart, 
the  Blackfoot  renegado  repined  at  the  mishap  which 
had  severed  him  from  a  race  of  congenial  spirits, 
and  driven  him  to  take  refuge  among  beings  so 
destitute  of  martial  fire. 

The  character  and  conduct  of  this  man  attracted 
the  attention  of  Captain  Bonneville,  and  he  was 
anxious  to  hear  the  reason  why  he  had  deserted 
his  tribe,  and  why  he  looked  back  upon  them  with 


W 


J^^ 


'^>:  -* 


s» 


r.itflt  i< 


.        (»»:_    ^ 


f 


m^ 


mfrnmrnm: 


142 


STORY    OP    K08AT0. 


^* 


=C 


8uch  deadly  hostility.     Kosato  told  him  his  own 
^    story  briefly  : — it  gives  a  picture  of  the  deep,  strong 
passions  that  work  in  the  bosoms  of  these  miscalled 
stoics.  ,  , 

"  You  sec  my  wife,"  said  he  :  "  she  is  good  ;  she 
is  beautiful — I  love  her. — Yet,  she  has  been  the 
-  ,>  cause  of  all  my  troubles.  She  was  the  wife  of  my 
chief.  I  loved  her  more  than  he  did ;  and  she 
knew  it.  We  talked  together ;  we  laughed  to- 
gether :  we  were  always  seeking  each  other's  so- 
ciety ;  but  we  were  as  innocent  as  children.  The 
chief  grew  jealous,  and  commanded  her  to  speak 
with  me  no  more.  His  heart  became  hard  toward 
her ;  his  jealousy  grew  more  furious.  He  beat  her 
without  cause  and  without  mercy ;  and  threatened 
to  kill  her  outright,  if  she  even  looked  at  me.  Do 
you  want  traces  of  his  fury  ?  Look  at  that  scar ! 
His  rage  against  me  was  no  less  persecuting.  War 
parties  of  the  Crows  were  hovering  round  us ;  our 
young  men  had  seen  their  trail.  All  hearts  were 
roused  for  action ;  my  horses  were  before  my  lodge. 
Suddenly  the  chief  came,  took  them  to  his  own 
pickets,  and  called  them  his  own.  What  could  I 
do  ? — he  was  a  chief.  I  durst  not  speak,  but  my 
heart  was  burning.  I  joined  no  longer  in  the  coun- 
cil, the  hunt,  or  the  war-feast.  What  had  I  to  do 
there  ?  an  unhorsed,  degraded  warrior.  I  kept  by 
myself,  and  thought  of  nothing  but  these  wrongs 
and  outrages. 

"  I  was  sitting  one  evening  upon  a  knoll  that  over- 
looked the  meadow  where  the  horses  were  pastured. 
I  saw  the  horses  that  were  once  mine  grazing  among 


.C 


n\ 


^. 


■■*. 


.  ^.•^- 


;-v,> 


^■7 


5# 


^'^ 


■i* 


",  * 


•m*' 


STORY    or   K08AT0. 


143 


U 


4 


t> 


f. 
■^ 


'r 


%f 


those  of  the  chief.  This  maddened  me,  and  I  sat 
brooding  for  a  time  over  the  injuries  I  had  suffered, 
and  the  crueUies  which  she  I  loved  had  endured  for 
my  sake,  until  my  heart  swelled  and  grew  sore,  and 
my  teeth  were  clenched.  As  I  looked  down  upon  the 
meadow,  I  saw  the  chief  walking  among  his  horses. 
I  fastened  my  eyes  on  him  as  a  hawk's  ;  my  blood 

•  boiled ;  I  drew  my  breath  hard.  He  went  among 
the  willows.  In  an  instant  I  was  on  my  feet ;  my 
hand  was  on  my  knife — I  flew  rather  than  ran — 
before  he  was  aware,  I  sprang  upon  him,  and  with 
two  blows  laid  him  dead  at  my  feet.  I  covered 
his  body  with  earth,  and  strewed  bushes  over  the 
place  ;  then  hastened  to  her  I  loved,  told  her  what 
I  had  done,  and  urged  her  to  fly  with  me.  She 
only  answered  me  with  tears.  I  reminded  her  of 
the  wrongs  I  had  suffered,  and  of  the  blows  and 
stripes  she  had  endured  from  the  deceased ;  I  had 
done  nothing  but  an  act  of  justice.  I  again  urged 
her  to  fly ;  but  she  only  wept  the  more,  and  bade 
me  go.  My  heart  was  heavy,  but  my  eyes  were 
dry.  I  folded  my  arms.  *  'Tis  well,'  said  I ;  *  Ko- 
sato  will  go  alone  to  the  desert.  None  will  be  with 
him  but  the  wild  beasts  of  the  prairie.  The  seekers 
of  blood  may  follow  on  his  trail.     They  may  come 

:|^  upon  him  when  he  sleeps,  and  glut  their  revenge ; 
but  you  will  be  safe.     Kosato  will  go  alone.' 

"  I  turned  away.  She  sprang  after  me,  Jid 
strained  me  in  her  arms.  *  No,'  cried  she,  '  Kosato 
shall  not  go  alone  !  Wherever  he  goes,  I  will  go — 
he  shall  never  part  from  me.' 

"  We  hastily  took  in  our  hands  such  things  as 


.  'I 


ill&' 


4, 


.* 


""> 


A'-> 


-*, 


M. 


144 


<«., 


STORY    OF    KOSATO. 


we  most  needed,  and  stealing  quietly  from  the 
Tillage,  mounted  the  first  horses  we  encountered. 
Speeding  day  and  night,  we  soon  reached  this  tribe. 
They  received  us  with  welcome,  and  we  have  dwelt 
with  them  in  peace.  They  are  good  and  kind; 
they  are  honest ;  but  their  hearts  are  the  hearts  of 
women." 

Such  was  the  story  of  Kosato,  as  related  by  him 
to  Captain  Bonneville.  It  is  of  a  kind  that  often 
occurs  in  Indian  life ;  where  love  elopements  from 
tribe  to  tribe  are  as  frequent  as  among  the  novel- 
read  heroes  and  heroines  of  sentimental  civilization, 
and  often  give  rise  to  bloody  and  lasting  feuds. 


'  *: 


*  ^  ..;. 


% 


^i'^'^v^iai   i-t;^- 

^V 

?-\i»--'.  ;, '.M^^,;, 

*■    t 

"V  .n     , 

.v^.-  >',.>i.L   ■    -i'>*t»5 

\.\t:-i. 

^-^^  ■ 

.'      '■', 

■ 

■--fir^: 

•^-«t-- 

;>^ij|i|fl.      ;i    "'     Vt*' 

^ .' 

i^^'^'sj    -^. 


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'•';  ,  u  ^---i;';" 


■■\     ^ 


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■■:,:.,    ■«■,.. 


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■^nHsft^tJtUKm^^' 


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t 


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^- 

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^ 

tered. 

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tribe. 

'u 

dwelt 

kind; 

ts  of 

f  him 

*  \ 

often 

from 

lovel- 

ation, 

# 


THE   MOUNTAIN   GORGE. 


'■^.'■'^•t^ 


145 


'1         V- 


CHAPTER   XIV.     * 

The  party  enters  the  mountain  gorge — A  wild  fastness  among  hills 
— Mountain  mutton — Peace  and  plenty — The  amorous  trapper 
— A  piebald  wedding — A  free  trapper's  wife — her  gala  equip- 
ments— Christmas  in  the  wilderness. 

On  the  19th  of  December,  Captain  Bonneville  and 
his  confederate  Indians,  raised  their  camp,  and  en- 
tered the  narrow  gorge  made  by  the  north  fork  of 
Salmon  river.  Up  this  lay  the  secure  and  plen- 
teous hunting  region  so  temptingly  described  by 
the  Indians. 

Since  leaving  Green  river,  the  plains  had  inva- 
riably been  of  loose  sand  or  coarse  gravel,  and  the 
rocky  formation  of  the  mountains  of  primitive  lime- 
stone. The  rivers,  in  general,  were  skirted  with 
willows  and  bitter  cotton- wood  trees,  and  the  prairies 
covered  with  wormwood.  In  the  hollow  breast  of 
the  mountains  which  they  were  now  penetrating,  the 
surrounding  heights  were  clothed  with  pine ;  while 
the  declivities  of  the  lower  hills  afforded  abundance 
of  bunch  grass  for  the  horses. 

As  the  Indians  had  represented,  they  were  now 
in  a  natural  fastness  of  the  mountains,  the  ingress 
and  egress  of  which  was  by  a  deep  gorge,  so  nar- 
row, rugged,  and  difficult,  as  to  prevent  secret  ap- 
proach or  rapid  retreat,  and  to  admit  of  easy  def3nce. 

VOL.  I.  .  13 


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146 


GOOD    CHEER MATRIMONY. 


The  Blackfeet,  therefore,  refrained  from  venturing 
in  after  the  Nez  Percys,  awaiting  a  better  chance, 
when  they  should  once  more  emerge  into  the  open 
country. 

Captain  Bonneville  soon  found  that  the  Indians 
had  not  exaggerated  the  advantages  of  this  region. 
Beside  numerous  gangs  of  elk,  large  flocks  of  the 
ahsahta  or  bighorn,  the  mountain  sheep,  were  to  be 
seen  bounding  among  the  precipices.  These  simple 
animals  were  easily  circumvented  and  destroyed. 
A  few  hunters  may  surround  a  flock  and  kill  as 
many  as  they  please.  Numbers  were  daily  brought 
into  camp,  and  the  flesh  of  those  which  were  young 
and  fat,  was  extolled  as  superior  to  the  finest 
mutton. 

Here,  then,  there  was  a  cessation  from  toil,  from 
hunger,  and  alarm.  Past  ills  and  dangers  Avere 
forgotten.  The  hunt,  the  game,  the  song,  the  story, 
the  rough  though  good-humored  joke,  made  time 
pass  joyously  away,  and  plenty  and  security  reigned 
throughout  the  camp. 

Idleness  and  ease,  it  is  said,  lead  to  love,  and  love 
to  matrimony,  in  civilized  life,  and  the  same  process 
takes  place  in  the  wilderness.  Filled  with  good 
cheer  and  mountain  mutton,  one  of  the  free  trappers 
began  to  repine  at  the  solitude  of  his  lodge,  and  to 
experience  the  force  of  that  great  law  of  nature,  "  it 
is  not  meet  for  man  to  live  alone," 

After  a  night  of  grave  cogitation,  he  repaired  to 
•Kowsoter,  the  Pierced-nose  chief;  and  unfolded  to 
•him  the  secret  workings  of  his  bosom. 

"  I  want,"  said  he,  "  a  wife.     Give  me  one  from 


IK 


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A   PIEBALD    WEDDING. 


147 


among  your  tribe.  Not  a  young,  giddy-pated  girl, 
that  will  think  of  nothing  but  flaunting  and  finery, 
but  a  sober,  discreet,  hard-working  squaw ;  one  that 
will  share  my  lot  without  flinching,  however  hard  it 
may  be ;  that  can  take  care  of  my  lodge,  and  be  a 
companion  and  a  helpmate  to  me  in  the  wilderness." 
Kowsoter  promised  to  look  round  among  the  females 
of  his  tribe,  and  procure  such  a  one  as  he  desired. 
Two  days  were  requisite  for  the  search.  At  the 
expiration  of  these,  Kowsoter  called  at  his  lodge, 
and  informed  him  that  he  would  bring  his  bride  to 
him  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon.  He  kept  his 
word.  At  the  appointed  time  he  approached,  lead- 
ing the  bride,  a  comely  copper-colored  dame,  attired 
in  her  Indian  finery.  Her  father,  mother,  brothers 
by  the  half  dozen,  and  cousins  by  the  score,  all  fol- 
lowed on  to  grace  the  ceremony,  and  greet  the  new 
and  important  relative.  •  ^ 

The  trapper  received  his  new  and  numerous 
family  connexion  with  proper  solemnity  ;  he  placed 
his  bride  beside  him,  and,  filling  the  pipe,  the  great 
symbol  of  peace,  with  his  best  tobacco,  took  two  or 
three  whiffs,  then  handed  it  to  the  chief,  who  trans- 
ferred it  to  the  father  of  the  bride,  from  whence  it 
was  passed  on  from  hand  to  hand  and  mouth  to 
mouth  of  the  whole  circle  of  kinsmen  round  the 
fire,  all  maintaining  the  most  profound  and  becoming 
silence. 

After  several  pipes  had  been  filled  and  emptied 
in  this  solemn  ceremonial,  the  chief  addressed  the 
bride ;  detailing,  at  considerable  length,  the  duties 
of  a  wife;   which,  among  Indians,  are  httle  less 


-.:•  .;»*•- 


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148 


A   FREE    TRAPPER  S   WIFE. 


onerous  than  those  of  the  packhorse ;  this  done,  he 
turned  to  her  friends,  and  congratulated  them  upon 
the  great  alUance  she  had  made.  They  showed  a 
due  sense  of  their  good  fortune,  especially  when  the 
nuptial  presents  came  to  be  distributed  among  the 
chiefs  and  relatives,  amounting  to  about  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  dollars.  The  company  soon  retired, 
and  now  the  worthy  trapper  found,  indeed,  that  he 
had  no  green  girl  to  deal  with ;  for  the  knowing 
dame  at  once  assumed  the  style  and  dignity  of  a 
trapper's  wife,  taking  possession  of  the  lodge  as  her 
undisputed  empire ;  arranging  every  thing  according 
to  her  own  taste  and  habitudes  ;  and  appealing  as 
much  at  home,  and  on  as  easy  terms  with  the  trap- 
per, as  if  they  had  been  man  and  wife  for  years. 

We  have  already  given  a  picture  of  a  free  trapper 
and  his  horse,  as  furnished  by  Captain  Bonneville  : 
!;;^we  shall  here  subjoin,  as  a  companion  picture,  his 
description  of  a  free  trapper's  wife,  that  the  reader 
may  have  a  correct  idea  of  the  kind  of  blessing  the 
worthy  hunter  in  question  had  invoked  to  solace  him 
in  the  wilderness, 

"The  free  trapper,  while  a  bachelor,  has  no 
greater  pet  than  his  horse ;  but  the  moment  he  takes 
a  wife,  (a  sort  of  brevet  rank  in  matrimony  occa- 
sionally bestowed  upon  some  Indian  fair  one,  like 
the  heroes  of  ancient  chivalry,  in  the  open  field,)  he 
discovers  that  he  has  a  still  more  fanciful  and  capri- 
cious animal  on  which  to  lavish  his  expenses. 

"  No  sooner  does  an  Indian  belle  experience  this 
promotion,  than  all  her  notions  at  once  rise  and  ex- 
pand to  the  dignity  of  her  situation  ;  and  the  purse 


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A    FREE    trapper's    WIPE. 


149 


m, 


of  her  lover,  and  his  credit  into  the  bargain,  are 
tasked  to  the  utmost  to  fit  her  out  in  becoming 
style.  The  wife  of  a  free  trapper  to  be  equipped 
and  arrayed  like  any  ordinary  and  undistinguished 
squaw?  Perish  the  grovelling  thought!  In  the 
first  place,  she  must  have  a  horse  for  her  own 
riding;  but  no  jaded,  sorry,  earth-spirited  hack; 
such  as  is  sometimes  assigned  by  an  Indian  hus- 
band for  the  transportation  of  his  squaw  and  hei 
papooses  :  the  wife  of  a  free  trapper  must  have  the 
most  beautiful  animal  she  can  lay  her  eyes  on.  And 
then,  as  to  his  decoration :  headstall,  breast-bands, 
saddle  and  crupper,  are  lavishly  embroidered  with 
beads,  and  hung  with  thimbles,  hawks'  bells,  and 
bunches  of  ribands.  From  each  side  of  the  saddle 
hangs  an  esquimoot,  a  sort  of  pocket,  in  which  she 
bestows  the  residue  of  her  trinkets  and  nicknacks, 
which  cannot  be  crowded  on  the  decoration  of  her 
horse  or  herself.  Over  this  she  folds  with  great 
care,  a  drapery  of  scarlet  and  bright-colored  cali- 
coes, and  now  considers  the  caparison  of  her  steed 
complete. 

"  As  to  her  own  person,  she  is  even  still  more 
extravagant.  Her  hair,  esteemed  beautiful  in  pro- 
. portion  to  its  length,  is  carefully  plaited,  and  made 
to  fall  with  seeming  negligence  over  either  breast. 
Her  riding  hat  is  stuck  full  of  party-colored  feathers ; 
her  robe,  fashioned  somewhat  after  that  of  the 
whites,  is  of  red,  green,  and  sometimes  gray  cloth, 
but  always  of  the  finest  texture  that  can  be  procured. 
Her  leggins  and  moccasins  are  of  the  most  beautiful 

and  expensive  workmanship,  and,  fitting  neatly  to 

13* 


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160 


A   FREE    TRAPPER  8    WIFE. 


the  foot  and  ankle,  which,  with  the  Indian  women 
are  generally  well  formed  and  delicate,  look  ex- 
tremely pretty.  Then  as  to  jewelry  :  in  the  way  of 
finger-rings,  ear-rings,  necklaces,  and  other  female 
glories,  nothing  within  reach  of  the  trapper's  means 
is  omitted,  that  can  tend  to  impress  the  beholder 
with  an  idea  of  the  lady's  high  estate.  To  finish 
the  whole,  she  selects  from  among  her  blankets  of 
various  dyes,  one  of  some  glowing  color,  and  throw- 
ing it  over  her  shoulders  with  a  native  grace,  vaults 
into  the  saddle  of  her  gay  prancing  steed,  and  is 
ready  to  follow  her  mountaineer  *  to  the  last  gasp 
with  love  and  loyalty.' " 

Such  is  the  general  picture  of  the  free  trapper's 
wife,  given  by  Captain  Bonneville ;  how  far  it  ap- 
plied in  its  details  to  the  one  in  question,  does  not 
altogether  appear,  though  it  would  seem  from  the 
outset  of  her  connubial  career,  that  she  was  ready 
to  avail  herself  of  all  the  pomp  and  circumstance  of 
her  new  condition.  It  is  worthy  of  mention,  that 
wherever  there  are  several  wives  of  free  trappers  in 
a  camp,  the  keenest  rivalry  exists  between  them,  to 
the  sore  detriment  of  their  husband's  purses.  Their 
whole  time  is  expended,  and  their  ingenuity  tasked 
to  eclipse  each  other  in  dress  and  decoration.  The 
jealousies  and  heartburnings  thus  occasioned  among 
these,  so  styled,  children  of  nature,  are  equally  in- 
tense with  those  of  the  rival  leaders  of  style  and 
fashion  in  the  luxurious  abodes  of  civilized  life. 

The  genial  festival  of  Christmas,  which  through- 
out all  Christendom  lights  up  the  fireside  of  home 
with  mirth  and  jollity,  followed  hard  upon  the  wed- 


■■'M^l 


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«a»;i»)jnin!(ifw'i„«gjjr  ■ 


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CHRISTMAS    IN    THE    WILDERNESS. 


161 


•  '"^ 

s  ,^'.»-. 


'^ 


ding  just  described.  Though  far  from  kindred  and 
friends,  Captain  Bonneville  and  his  handful  of  free 
trappers  were  not  disposed  to  suflfer  the  festival  to 
pass  unenjoyed;  they  were  in  a  region  of  good  cheer, 
and  were  dispose^  to  be  joyous ;  so  it  was  deter- 
mined to  "  light  up  the  yule  clog,"  and  celebrate  a 
merry  Christmas  in  the  heart  of  the  wilderness. 

On  Christmas-eve,  accordingly,  they  began  their 
rude  f^tes  and  rejoicings.  In  tli'^  course  of  the 
night,  the  free  trappers  surrounded  the  lodge  of  the 
Pierced-nose  chief,  and  in  lieu  of  Christmas  carols, 
saluted  him  with  a  feudejoie. 

Kowsoter  received  it  in  a  truly  Christian  spirit, 
and  after  a  speech,  in  which  he  expressed  his  high 
gratification  at  the  honor  done  him,  invited  the  whole 
company  to  a  feast  on  the  following  day.  His  invi- 
tation was  gladly  accepted.  A  Christmas  dinner  in 
the  wigwam  of  an  Indian  chief !  There  was  novelty 
in  the  idea.  Not  one  failed  to  be  present.  The 
banquet  was  served  up  in  primitive  style  :  skins  of 
various  kinds,  nicely  dressed  for  the  occasion,  were 
spread  upon  the  ground  ;  upon  these  were  heaped 
up  abundance  of  venison,  elk  meat,  and  mountain 
mutton  ;  with  various  bitter  roots,  which  the  Indians 
use  as  condiments. 

After  a  short  prayer,  the  company  all  seated 
themselves  crosslegged,  in  Turkish  fashion,  to  the 
banquet,  which  passed  off  with  great  hilarity.  Af- 
ter which,  various  games  of  strengtii  and  agility,  by 
both  white  men  and  Indians,  closed  the  Christmas 
festivities. 


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/ 
152 


A   HUNT  AFTER  HUNTERS. 


"■^' 


)  ; 


CHAPTER    XV. 

A  hunt  after  hunters — Hungry  times — A  voracious  repast — ^Wintry 
weather — Godin's  river — Splendid  winter  scene  on  the  great  lava 
plain  of  Snake  river — Severe  travelling  and  tramping  in  the 
snow — ^Manoeuvres  of  a  solitary  Indian  horseman — Encampment 
on  Snake  river — Banneck  Indiand — The  Horse  chief— his 
charmed  life. 

The  continued  absence  of  Malthieu  and  his  party 
had,  by  this  time,  caused  great  uneasiness  in  the 
mind  of  Captain  Bonneville ;  and,  finding  there  was 
no  dependance  to  be  placed  upon  the  perseverance 
and  courage  of  scouting  parties,  in  so  perilous  a 
quest,  he  determined  to  set  out  himself  on  the 
search,  and  to  keep  on  until  he  should  ascertain 
something  of  the  object  of  his  solicitude. 

Accordingly,  on  the  26th  December  he  left  the 
camp,  accompanied  by  thirteen  stark  trappers  and 
hunters,  all  well  mounted  and  armed  for  dangerous 
enterprise.  On  the  following  morning  they  passed 
out  at  the  head  of  the  mountain  gorge,  and  sallied 
forth  into  the  open  plain.  As  they  confidently 
expected  a  brush  with  the  Blackfeet,  or  some  other 
predatory  horde,  they  moved  with  great  circum- 
spection, and  kept  vigilant  watch  in  their  encamp- 
ments. 
,    In  the  course  of  another  day  they  left  the  main 


;^ 


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■#•; 


«l'^'4H   '' 


;V'  • 


LURKING   INDIANS. 


163 


W;i!^. 


i 
:*^. 


branch  of  Salmon  river,  and  proceeded  south  to- 
wards a  pass  called  John  Day's  defile.  It  was 
severe  and  arduous  travelling.  The  plains  were 
swept  by  keen  and  bitter  blasts  of  wintry  wind; 
the  ground  was  generally  covered  with  snow,  game 
was  scarce,  so  that  hunger  generally  prevailed  in 
the  camp,  while  the  want  of  pasturage  soon  began 
to  manifest  itself  in  the  declining  vigor  of  the 
horses.  .  .        • 

The  party  had  scarcely  encamped  on  the  after- 
noon of  the  28th,  when  two  of  the  hunters  who  had 
sallied  forth  in  quest  of  game  came  galloping  back 
in  great  alarm.  While  hunting  they  had  perceived 
a  party  of  savages,  evidently  manoeuvring  to  cut 
them  off  from  the  camp ;  and  nothing  had  saved 
them  from  being  entrapped  but  the  speed  of  their 
horses. 

These  tidings  struck  dismay  into  the  camp. 
Captain  Bonneville  endeavored  to  reassure  his  men 
by  representing  the  position  of  their  encampment, 
and  its  capability  of  defence.  He  then  ordered  the 
horses  to  be  driven  in  and  picketed,  and  threw  up  a 
rough  breastwork  of  fallen  trunks  of  trees,  and  the 
vegetable  rubbish  of  the  wilderness.  Within  this 
barrier  was  maintained  a  vigilant  watch  throughout 
the  night,  which  passed  away  without  alarm.  At 
early  dawn  they  scrutinized  the  surrounding  plain, 
to  discover  whether  any  enemies  had  been  lurking 
about  during  the  night :  not  a  foot  print,  however, 
was  to  be  discovered  in  the  coarse  gravel  with 
which  the  plain  was  covered. 

Hunger  now  began  to  cause  more  uneasiness 


# 


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V 


4 


154 


BUFFALO  BEEF. 


than  the  apprehensions  of  surrounding  enemies. 
After  marching  a  few  miles  they  encamped  at  the 
foot  of  a  mountain,  in  hopes  of  finding  buffalo.  It 
was  not  until  the  next  day  that  they  discovered  a 
pair  of  fine  bulls  on  the  edge  of  the  plain,  among 
rocks  and  ravines.  Having  now  been  two  days 
and  a  half  without  a  mouthful  of  food,  they  took 
especial  care  that  these  animals  should  not  escape 
«them.  While  some  of  the  surest  marksmen  ad- 
vanced cautiously  with  their  rifles  into  the  rough 
ground,  four  of  the  best  mounted  horsemen  took 
their  stations  in  the  plain,  to  run  the  bulls  down 
should  they  only  be  maimed. 

The  buffalo  were  wounded,  md  set  off  in  head- 
long flight.  The  half-famished  horses  were  too 
weak  to  overtake  them  on  the  frozen  ground,  but 
succeeded  in  driving  them  on  the  ice,  where  they 
slipped  and  fell,  and  were  easily  despatched.  The 
hunters  loaded  themselves  with  beef  for  present  and 
future  supply,  and  then  returned  and  encai»iped  at 
the  last  night's  fire.  Here  they  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  the  day,  cooking  and  eating  with  a 
voracity  proportioned  to  previous  starvation ;  for- 
getting in  the  hearty  revel  of  the  moment,  the 
certain  dangers  with  which  they  were  environed. 

The  cravings  of  hunger  being  satisfied,  they  now 
began  to  debate  about  their  further  progress.  The 
men  were  much  disheartened  by  the  hardships  they 
had  already  endured.  Indeed,  two  who  had  been 
in  the  rear  guard,  taking  advantage  of  their  posi- 
tion, had  deserted  and  returned  to  the  lodges  of  the 
Nez  Perc6s.     The  prospect  ahead  was  enough  to 


•* 


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t?^-._  JIMki. 


■;»      -Tii- 


«■ 


*if 


A    FREEZINO    MARCH. 


155 


■^- 


stagger  the  stoutest  heart.  They  were  in  the  dead 
of  winter.  As  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  the  wild 
landscape  was  wrapped  in  snow;  which  was  evi- 
dently deepening  as  they  advanced.  Over  this 
they  would  have  to  toil,  with  the  icy  wind  blowing 
in  their  faces  :  their  horses  might  give  out  through 
want  of  pasturage;  and  they  themselves  must  ex- 
pect intervals  of  horrible  famine  like  that  they  had 
already  experienced. 

With  Captain  Bonneville,  however,  perseverance 
was  a  matter  of  pride ;  and  having  undertaken  this 
enterprise,  nothing  could  turn  him  back  until  it  was 
accomplished  :  though  he  declares  that,  had  he  anti- 
cipated the  difficulties  and  suiferings  which  attended 
it,  he  should  have  flinched  from  the  undertaking. 

Onward,  therefore,  the  little  band  urged  their 
way,  keeping  along  the  course  of  a  stream  called 
John  Day's  creek.  The  cold  was  so  intense  that 
they  had  frequently  to  dismount  and  travel  on  foot, 
lest  they  should  freeze  in  their  saddles.  The  days, 
which,  at  this  season,  are  short  enough  even  in  the 
open  prairies,  were  narrowed  to  a  few  hours  by  the 
high  mountains,  which  allowed  the  travellers  but  a 
brief  enjoyment  of  the  cheering  rays  of  the  sun. 
The  snow  was,  generally,  at  least  twenty  inches  in 
depth,  and  in  many  places  much  more  :  those  who 
dismounted  had  to  beat  their  way  with  toilsome 
steps.  Eight  miles  were  considered  a  good  day's 
journey.  The  horses  were  almost  famished ;  for 
the  herbage  was  covered  by  the  deep  snow,  so  that 
they  had  nothing  to  subsist  upon  but  scanty  whisps 
of  the  dry  bunch  grass  which  peered  above  the 


■% 


J*-.i-v 


.,«!*.' 


i^'iS 


*:^ 


7'*  ■ 


il 


"«3»- 


L  I 


156 


OODIN  8    RlVEll THE    THREE    IIUTKS. 


surface,  and  the  siimll  brandies  and  twigs  of  frozen 
willows  and  wormwood. 

In  tliis  way  ihey  urged  their  slow  and  painfiil 
course  to  the  south,  down  John  Day's  creek,  until 
it  lost  itself  in  a  swamp.  Here  they  encamped  upon 
the  ice  among  stiffened  willows,  where  ihcy  were 
obliged  to  beat  down  and  clear  away  the  snow  to 
procure  pasturage  for  their  horses. 

Hence,  they  toiled  on  to  Godin  river ;  so  called 
after  an  Iroquois  hunter  in  the  service  of  Sublette  ; 
wlio  was  murdered  there  by  the  Blackfeet.  Many 
of  the  features  of  this  remote  wilderness  are  thus 
named  after  scenes  of  violence  and  bloodshed  that 
occurred  to  the  early  pioneers.  It  was  an  act  of 
filial  vengeance  on  the  part  of  Godin's  son,  Antoine, 
that,  as  the  reader  may  recollect,  brought  on  the 
recent  battle  at  Pierre's  Hole. 

From  Godin's  river  Captain  Bonneville  and  his  fol- 
lowers came  out  upon  the  plain  of  the  Three  Butes ; 
so  called  from  three  singular  and  isolated  hills  that 
rise  from  the  midst.  It  is  a  part  of  the  great  desert 
of  Snake  river,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  tracts 
beyond  the  mountains.  Could  they  have  experi- 
enced a  respite  from  their  sufferings  and  anxieties, 
the  immense  landscape  spread  out  before  them  was 
calculated  to  inspire  admiration.  Winter  has  its 
beauties  and  glories,  as  well  as  summer ;  and  Cap- 
tain Bonneville  had  the  soul  to  appreciate  them. 

Far  away,  says  he,  over  the  vast  plains,  and 
up  the  steep  sides  of  the  lofty  mountains,  the 
snow  lay  spread  in  dazzling  whiteness  :  and  when- 
ever the   sun  emerged  in  the  morning  above  the 


«*»..■')« 


i* 


^ 


'«. 


A   WINTRY   LANDSCAPE. 


IflT 


giant  peaks,  or  burst  forth  from  among  clouds  in 
liis  mid-day  course,  mountain  and  dell,  glazed  rock 
and  frosted  tree,  glow  edand  sparkled  with  surpass- 
ing lustre.  The  tall  pines  seemed  sprinkled  with  a 
silver  dust,  and  the  willows,  studded  with  minute 
icicles  reflecting  the  prismatic  rays,  brought  to  mind 
the  fairy  trees  conjured  up  by  the  caliph's  story- 
teller, to  adorn  his  vale  of  diamonds. 

The  poor  wanderers,  however,  nearly  starved 
with  hunger  and  cold,  were  in  no  mood  to  enjoy  the 
glories  of  these  brilliant  scenes ;  though  they  stamped 
pictures  on  their  memory,  which  have  been  recalled 
with  delight  in  more  genial  situations. 

Encamping  at  the  west  Bute,  they  found  a  place 
swept  by  the  winds,  so  that  it  was  bare  of  snow, 
and  there  was  abundance  of  bunch  grass.  Here 
the  horses  were  turned  loose  to  graze  throughout 
the  night.  Though  for  once  they  had  ample  pas- 
turage, yet  the  keen  winds  were  so  intense,  that,  in 
the  morning,  a  mule  was  found  frozen  to  death. 
The  trappers  gathered  round  and  mourned  over 
him  as  over  a  cherished  friend.  They  feared  their 
half-famished  horses  would  soon  sliare  his  fate,  for 
there  seemed  scarce  blood  enough  left  in  their  veins 
to  withstand  the  freezing  cold.  To  beat  the  way 
further  through  the  snow  with  these  enfeebled  ani- 
mals, seemed  next  to  impossible ;  and  despondency 
began  to  creep  over  their  hearts,  when,  fortunately, 
they  discovered  a  trail  made  by  some  hunting  party. 
Into  this  they  immediately  entered,  and  proceeded 
with  less  difficulty.  Shortly  afterward,  a  fine  buf- 
falo bull  came  bounding  across  the  snow,  and  was 

VOL.  I.  14 


-*. 


# 


m^ 


•♦'    ■%' 


m 


1^' 


p 


H 


158 


THE    WARY    HORSEMAN. 


instantly  brought  down  by  the  hunters.  A  fire  was 
soon  blazing  and  crackling,  and  an  ample  repast 
soon  cooked,  and  sooner  despatched,  after  which, 
they  made  some  further  progress  and  then  en- 
camped. One  of  the  men  reached  the  camp  nearly 
frozen  to  death ;  but  good  cheer  and  a  blazing  fire 
gradually  restored  life,  and  put  his  blood  in  circu- 
lation. 

Having  now  a  beaten  path,  they  proceeded  the 
next  morning  with  more  facility ;  indeed,  the  snow 
decreased  in  depth  as  they  receded  from  the  moun- 
tains, and  the  temperature  became  more  mild.  In 
the  course  of  the  day,  they  discovered  a  solitary 
horseman  hovering  at  a  distance  before  them  on  the 
plain.  They  spurred  on  to  overtake  him ;  but  he 
was  better  mounted  on  a  fresher  steed,  and  kept  at 
a  wary  distance,  reconnoitring  them  with  evident 
distrust :  for  the  wild  dress  of  the  free  trappers, 
their  leggins,  blankets,  and  cloth  caps  garnished 
with  fur  and  topped  off  with  feathers  ;  even  their 
very  elflocks  and  weather-bronzed  complexions, 
gave  them  the  look  of  Indians  rather  than  white 
men,  and  made  him  mistake  them  for  a  war  party 
of  some  hostile  tribe. 

After  much  manoeuvring,  the  wild  horseman  was 
at  length  brought  to  a  parley ;  but  even  then  he 
conducted  himself  with  the  caution  of  a  knowing 
prowler  of  the  prairies.  Dismounting  from  his 
horse,  and  using  him  as  a  breastwork,  he  levelled  his 
gun  across  his  back,  and,  thus  prepared  for  defence, 
like  a  wary  cruiser  upon  the  high  seas,  he  permitted 
himself  to  be  approached  within  speaking  distance. 


"sit: 


• 


§■ 


parly 


■Af: 


•# 


:,m 


i:^: 


ENCAMPMENT    ON    SNAKE   RIVER. 


159 


He  proved  to  be  an  Indian  of  the  Banneck  tribe, 
belonging  to  a  band  at  no  great  distance.  It  was 
vjsome  time  before  he  could  be  persuaded  that  he  was 
[icon versing  with  a  party  of  white  men,  and  induced 
to  lay  aside  his  reserve  and  join  them.  He  then 
gave  them  the  interesting  intelligence,  that  there 
were  two  companies  of  white  men  encamped  in  the 
neighborhood.  This  was  cheering  news  to  Captain 
Bonneville ;  who  hoped  to  find  in  one  of  these  com- 
panies the  long  sought  party  of  Matthieu.  Pushing 
forward,  therefore,  with  renovated  spirits,  he  reached 
Snake  river  by  nightfall  and  there  fixed  his  en- 
campment, "f  - 

Early  the  next  morning  (13th  January,  1833), 
diligent  search  was  made  about  the  neighborhood 
for  traces  of  the  reported  parties  of  white  men. 
An  encampment  was  soon  discovered,  about  four 
miles  further  up  the  river ;  in  which  Captain  Bonne- 
ville, to  his  great  joy,  found  two  of  Matthieu's  men, 
from  whom  he  learnt  that  the  rest  of  his  party  would 
be  there  in  the  course  of  a  few  days.  It  was  a 
matter  of  great  pride  and  self-gratulation  to  Captain 
Bonneville,  that  he  had  thus  accomplished  his  dreary 
and  doubtful  enterprise  ;  and  he  determined  to  pass 
some  time  in  this  encampment,  bolh  to  await  the 
return  of  Matthieu,  and  to  give  needful  repose  both 
to  men  and  horses. 

It  wp.s,  in  fact,  one  of  the  most  eligible  and 
delightful  wintering  grounds  in  that  whole  range 
of  country.  The  Snake  river  here  wound  its  devi- 
ous way  between  low  banks  through  the  great  plain 
of  the  Three  Butes ;  and  was  bordered  by  wide  and 


%■ 


,f 


xiff-. 


>      #. 


'it--. 


\*v  • ' 


■=^.*f; 


-i# 


f'...J- 


■^x 


fl 


160 


ENCAMPMENT    ON    SNAKE    RIVER. 


JFertile  meadows.  It  was  studded  with  islands, 
which,  like  the  alluvial  bottoms,  were  covered  with 
groves  of  cotton-wood,  thickets  of  willow,  tracts 
I  of  good  lowland  grass,  and  abundance  of  green 
■W  rushes.  The  adjacent  plains,  were  so  vast  in  extent, 
that  no  single  band  of  Indians  could  drive  the  buf- 
falo out  of  them ;  nor  was  the  snow  of  sufficient 
depth  to  give  any  serious  inconvenience.  Indeed, 
.  «i  during  the  sojourn  of  Captain  Bonneville  in  this 
neighborhood,  which  was  in  the  heart  of  winter,  he 
found  the  weather,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  cold 
and  stormy  days,  generally  mild  and  pleasant ;  freez- 
ing a  little  at  night,  but  invariably  thawing  with  the 
morning's  sun — resembling  the  spring  weather  in 
the  middle  part  of  the  United  States. 

The  lofty  range  of  the  Three  Tetons,  those  great 
landmarks  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  rising  in  the 
east,  and  circling  away  to  the  north  and  west  of  the 
great  plain  of  Snake  river ;  and  the  mountains  of 
Salt  river  and  Portneuf  towards  the  south,  catch 
the  earliest  falls  of  snow.  Their  white  robes 
.  lengthen  as  the  winter  advances,  and  spread  them- 
selves far  into  the  plain,  driving  the  buffalo  in  herds 
to  the  banks  of  the  river  in  quest  of  food ;  where 
the}'-  are  easily  slain  in  great  numbers. 

Such  were  the  palpable  advantages  of  this  winter 
encampment ;  added  to  which,  it  was  secure  from 
the  prowlings  and  plunderings  of  any  petty  band  of 
roving  Blackfeet :  the  difficulties  of  retreat  render- 
ing it  unwise  for  those  crafty  depredators  to  venture 
an  attack,  unless  with  an  overpowering  force. 
About  ten  miles  below  the  encampment  lay  the 


■  * 


^* 


u 


m 


\i 


M.. 


f- 


m 


4k 


V* 


THE    BANNECK    INDIANS. 


161 


Banneck  Indians ;  numbering  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty  lodges.  They  are  brave  and  cunning 
warriors,  and  deadly  foes  of  the  Blackfeet ;  whom 
they  easily  overcome  in  battles  where  their  forces 
are  equal.  They  are  not  vengeful  and  enterprising 
in  warfare,  however ;  seldom  sending  war  parties 
to  attack  the  Blackfeet  towns,  but  contenting  them- 
selves with  defending  their  own  territories  and 
homes.  About  one-third  of  their  warriors  are  armed 
with  fuzees  ;  the  rest  with  bows  and  arrows. 

As  soon  as  the  spring  opens,  they  move  down 
the  right  bank  of  Snake  river,  and  encamp  at  the 
heads  of  the  Bois^e  and  Payette.  Here  their 
horses  wax  fat  on  good  pasturage,  while  the  tribe 
revels  in  plenty  upon  the  flesh  of  deer,  elk,  bear, 
and  beaver.  They  then  descend  a  little  further, 
and  are  met  by  the  Lower  Nez  Perces,  with  whom 
they  trade  for  horses ;  giving  in  exchange  beaver, 
buffalo,  and  buffalo  robes.  Hence  they  strike  upon 
the  tributary  streams  on  the  left  bank  of  Snake 
river,  and  encamp  at  the  rise  of  the  Portneuf  and 
Blackfoot  streams,  in  the  buffalo  range.  Their 
horses,  although  of  the  Nez  Perce  breed,  are  in- 
ferior to  the  parent  stock,  from  being  ridden  at  too 
early  an  age ;  being  often  bought  when  but  two 
years  old,  and  immediately  put  to  hard  work.  They 
have  fewer  horses,  also,  than  most  of  these  migra- 
tory tribes. 

At  the  time  that  Captain  Bonneville  came  into 
the  neighborfiood  of  these  Indians,  they  were  all  in 
mourning  for  their  chief,  surnamed  The  Horse. 
This  chief  was  said  to  possess  a  charmed  life,  or 

14* 


't^  .% 


'^v 


5# 


M 


».l 


I 


pf 


162 


■%i*" 


THE   HORSE    CHIEF. 


rather,  to  be  invulnerable  to  lead ;  no  bullet  having 
ever  hit  him,  though  he  had  been  in  repeated  battles, 
and  often  shot  at  by  the  surest  marksmen.  He  had 
shown  great  magnanimity  in  his  intercourse  with 
the  white  men.  One  of  the  great  men  of  his  family 
had  been  slain  in  an  attack  upon  a  band  of  trappers 
passing  through  the  territories  of  his  tribe.  Ven- 
geance had  been  sworn  by  the  Bannecks  ;  but  The 
Horse  interfered,  declaring  himself  the  friend  of 
white  men,  and,  having  great  influence  and  authority 
among  his  people,  he  compelled  them  to  forego  all 
vindictive  plans,  and  to  conduct  themselves  amica- 
bly whenever  they  came  in  contact  with  the  traders. 
This  chief  had  bravely  fallen  in  resisting  an  at- 
tack made  by  the  Blackfeet  upon  his  tribe,  while 
encamped  at  the  head  of  Godin  river.  His  fall 
in  nowise  lessened  the  faith  of  his  people  in  his 
charmed  life  ;  for  they  declared  that  it  was  nc"  a 
bullet  whicl'-  laid  him  low,  but  a  bit  of  horn  which 
had  been  shot  into  him  by  some  Blackfoot  marks- 
man; aware,  no  doubt,  of  the  inefficacy  of  lead. 
Since  his  death,  there  was  no  one  with  sufiicient 
influence  over  the  tribe  to  restrain  the  wild  and 
predatory  propensities  of  the  young  men.  The 
consequence  was,  they  had  become  troublesome 
and  dangerous  neighbors ;  openly  friendly,  for  the 
sake  of  traflic,  but  disposed  to  commit  secret  depre- 
dations, and  to  molest  any  small  party  that  might 
fall  within  their  reach. 


■->» 


i^ 
♦* 


1^ 


• 


m 


fm>imim!mm-?»f''^ 


« 


.A 


■r-i  *v 


,*•  ■  < 


MATTHIEU — HIS   MISADVENTURES. 


■.    .a;  -  ■■■i-^.,: 


K 


•*M-  - 


163 


f 


')     , 


CHAPTER   XVI. 


•'-i^:,,i 


Misadventures  of  Matthieu  and  his  party — Return  to  the  caches  at 
Salmon  river — Battle  between  Nez  Percys  and  Blackfeet — He- 
roism of  p  Nez  Perc6  woman — enrolled  among  the  braves. 


On  the  3d  of  February,  Matthieu,  with  the  residue 
of  his  band,  arrived  in  camp.  He  had  a  disastrous 
story  to  relate.  After  parting  with  Captain  Bonne- 
ville in  Green  river  valley,  he  had  proceeded  to  the 
westward,  keeping  to  the  north  of  the  Eutaw  moun- 
tains, a  spur  of  the  great  Rocky  chain.  Here  he 
experienced  "he  most  rugged  travelling  for  his 
horses,  and  soon  discovered  that  there  was  but  little 
chance  of  meeting  the  Shoshonie  bands.  He  now 
proceeded  along  Bear  river,  a  stream  much  fre- 
quented by  trappers ;  intending  to  shape  his  course 
to  Salmon  river,  to  rejoin  Captain  Bonneville. 

He  was  misled,  however,  either  through  the  ig\io- 
rance  or  treachery  of  an  Indian  guide,  and  conducted 
into  a  wild  valley,  where  he  lay  encamped  during 
the  autumn  and  the  early  part  of  the  winter,  nearly 
buried  in  snow,  and  almost  starved.  Early  in  the 
season  he  detached  five  men,  with  nine  horses,  to 
proceed  to  the  neighborhood  of  the  Sheep  rock,  on 
Bear  river,  where  game  was  plenty,  and  there  to 
procure  a  supply  for  the  camp.     They  had  not  pro- 


%    . 


;^-> 


B 


4-. 


164 


.:.-  ■■;:.    ■■'■    f^t-^iKSri      w 
ENCOUNTER    WITH    SAVAGES. 


■**«*, 


K 


*■  '  ceeded  far  on  their  expedition,  when  their  trail  was 
discovered  by  a  party  of  nine  or  ten  Indians,  who 

■"  immediately  commenced  a  lurking  pursuit,  dogging 
them  secretly  for  five  or  six  days.  So  long  as  their 
encampments  were  well  chosen,  and  a  proper  watch 
maintained,  the  wary  savages  kept  aloof;  at  length, 

/  .,  observing  that  they  were  badly  encamped,  in  a 
situation  where  they  might  be  approached  with 
secrecy.,  the   '^nemy  crept   stealthily  along  under 

„^.  ^  cover  of  Hp  river  bank,  preparing  to  burst  suddenly 
upon  'heir  pre"",  ,  %:. 

They  had  not  advanced  within  striking  distance, 
luvevMij  *  .-fore  they  were  discovered  by  one  of  the 
t  ipper.'.  Nc  \Tanediately,  but  silently,  gave  the 
alarm  1o  his  companions.  They  all  sprang  upon 
their  ho 'ses,  and  prepared  to  retreat  to  a  safe  posi- 
tion. On"?  of  the  party,  however,  named  Jennings, 
doubted  the  correctness  of  the  alarm,  and,  before 
he  mounted  his  horse,  wanted  to  ascertain  the  fact. 
His  companions  urged  him  to  mount,  but  in  vain ; 
he  was  incredulous  and  obstinate.  A  volley  of  fire- 
arms by  the  savages  dispelled  his  doubts ;  but  so 
overpowered  his  nerves,  that  he  was  unable  to  get 
into  his  saddle.  His  comrades,  seeing  his  peril  and 
confusion,  generously  leapt  from  their  horses  to 
protect  him.  A  shot  fK)m  a  rifle  brought  him  to 
the  earth;  in  his  agony,  he  callx.  upjri  the  others 
not  to  desert  him.  Two  of  ihem,  1  o  Roy  ond  Ifos-s, 
after  fighting  desperately,  were  'apiured  by  the 
savages ;  the  remaining  two  vaulted  into  their  sad- 
dles, and  saved  themselves  by  headlong  flight,  being 
pursued  for  nearly  thirty  miles.    They  got  safe  bark 


t 


m 


#- 


■* 


•  nijiiririiniimiiii 


4. 


'Ti 


INDIAN   WARFARE. 


^^ 


165 


x 


\. 


'l<& 


to  Matthieu's  camp,  where  their  story  inspired  such 
dread  of  lurking  Indians,  that  the  hunters  could  not 
be  prevailed  upon  to  undertake  another  foray  in 
quest  of  provisions.  They  remained,  therefore, 
almost  starving  in  their  camp ;  now  and  then  killing 
an  old  or  disabled  horse  for  food,  while  the  elk  and 
the  mountain  sheep  roamed  unmolested  among  the 
surrounding  mountains. 

The  disastrous  surprisal  of  this  hunting  party,  is 
cited  by  Captain  Bonneville  to  show  the  importance 
of  vigilant  watching  and  judicious  encampments  in 
the  Indian  country.  Most  of  these  kind  of  disasters 
to  traders  and  trappers  arise  from  some  careless 
inattention  to  the  state  of  their  arms  and  ammunition, 
the  placing  of  their  horses  at  night,  the  position  of 
their  camping  ground,  and  the  posting  of  their  night 
watches.  The  Indian  is  a  vigilant  and  crafty  foe ; 
by  no  means  given  to  harebrained  assaults ;  he  sel- 
dom attacks  when  he  finds  his  foe  well  prepared 
and  on  the  alert.  Caution  is  at  least  as  efficacious 
a  protection  against  him  as  courage. 

The  Indians  who  made  this  attack  were  at  first 
supposed  to  be  Blackfeet ;  until  Captain  Bonneville 
found,  subsequently,  in  the  camp  of  the  Bannecks  a 
horse,  saddle,  and  bridle,  which  he  recognised  as 
having  belonged  to  one  of  the  hunters.  The  Ban- 
necks,  however,  stoutly  denied  having  taken  these 
spoils  in  fight,  and  persisted  in  affirming  that  the 
outrage  had  been  perpetrated  by  a  Blackfoot  band. 

Captain  Bonneville  remained  on  Snake  river 
nearly  three  weeks  after  the  arrival  of  Matthieu  and 
bis  party.    At  length,  his  horses  having  recovered 


if 


• 


'■«>■  ■■■' 


'4m 


V*- 


166 


SNAKE    RIVER    PLAIN    IN    WINTER. 


strength  sufficient  for  a  journey,  he  prepared  to 
return  to  the  Nez  Percys,  or  rather  to  visit  his 
caches  on  Salmon  river ;  that  he  might  take  thence 
goods  and  equipments  for  the  opening  season.  Ac- 
cordingly, leaving  sixteen  men  at  Snake  river,  he 
set  out,  on  the  19th  Febmary,  with  sixteen  others, 
on  his  journey  to  the  caches. 

Fording  the  river,  he  proceeded  to  the  borders  of 
the  deep  snow,  when  he  encamped  under  the  lea  of 
immense  piles  of  burnt  rock.  On  the  21st,  he  was 
again  floundering  through  the  snow,  on  the  great 
Snake  river  plain,  where  it  lay  to  the  depth  of  thirty 
inches.  It  was  sufficiently  encrusted  to  bear  a 
pedestrian ;  but  the  poor  horses  broke  through  the 
crust,  and  plunged  and  strained  at  every  step.  So 
lacerated  were  they  by  the  ice,  that  it  was  necessary 
to  change  the  front  every  hundred  yards,  and  put  a 
different  one  in  the  advance,  to  break  the  way.  The 
open  prairies  were  swept  by  a  piercing  and  biting 
wind  from  the  northwest.  At  night,  they  had  to 
task  their  ingenuity  to  provide  shelter  and  to  keep 
from  freezing.  In  the  first  place,  they  dug  deep 
holes  in  the  snow,  piling  it  up  in  ramparts  to  wind- 
ward, as  a  protection  against  the  blast.  Beneath 
these,  they  spread  buffalo  skins ;  upon  which  they 
stretched  themselves  in  full  dress,  with  caps,  cloaks, 
and  moccasins,  and  covered  themselves  with  nu- 
merous blankets;  notwithstanding  all  which,  they 
were  often  severely  pinched  with  the  cold. 

On  the  28th  of  February,  they  arrived  on  the 
banks  of  Godin  river.  This  stream  emerges  from 
the  mountains  opposite  an  eastern  branch  of  the 


J 


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SALT   WEED. 


187 


Malade  river,  running  southeast,  forms  a  deep  and'^'' 
swift  current  about  twenty  yards  wide,  passing 
rapidly  through  a  defile  to  which  it  gives  its  name, 
and  then  enters  the  great  plain,  where,  after  mean- 
dering about  forty  miles,  it  is  finally  lost  in  the 
region  of  the  Burnt  Rocks. 

On  the  banks  of  this  river,  Captain  Bonneville 
was  so  fortunate  as  to  come  upon  a  buffalo  trail. 
Following  it  up,  he  entered  the  defile,  where  he  re- 
mained encamped  for  two  days,  to  allow  the  hunters 
time  to  kill  and  dry  a  supply  of  buffalo  beef.  In 
this  sheltered  defile,  the  weather  was  moderate,  and 
grass  was  already  sprouting  more  than  an  inch  in 
height.  There  was  abundance,  too,  of  the  salt 
weed;  which  grows  most  plentiful  in  clayey  and 
gravelly  barrens.  It  resembles  pennyroyal,  and 
derives  its  name  from  a  partial  saltness.  It  is  a 
nourishing  food .  for  the  horses  in  the  winter,  but 
they  reject  it  the  moment  the  young  grass  affords 
sufficient  pasturage. 

On  the  6th  of  March,  having  cured  sufficient  meat, 
the  party  resumed  their  march,  and  moved  on  with 
comparative  ease,  excepting  where  they  had  to  make  « 
their  way  through  snow  drifts  which  had  been  piled 
up  by  the  wind. 

On  the  1 1th,  a  small  cloud  of  smoke  was  observed 
rising  in  a  $etp  part  of  the  defile.  An  encampment 
was  instantly  formed,  and  scouts  sent  out  to  recon- 
noitre. They  returned  with  intelligence  that  it 
was  a  hunting  party  of  Flatheads,  retiurning  from 
the  buffalo  range  laden  wi|h  meat.  Captain  Bonne-  ' 
ville  joined  them  the  nextiilay,  and  persuaded  them 


■'#. 


■^A 


.*■■       ■  \_  0. 


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168     ADVENTURE  OF  THE  TEN  LODGES. 


'm 


to  proceed  with  his  party  a  few  miles  below,  to  the 
caches,  whither  he  proposed  also  to  invite  the  Nez 
Percys,  whom  he  hoped  to  find  somewhere  in  this 
*  eighborhood.  In  fact,  on  the  13th,  he  was  rejoined 
by  that  friendly  tribe,  who,  since  ht  separated  from 
them  on  Salmon  river,  had  likewise  been  out  to  hunt 
the  buffalo,  but  had  continued  to  be  haunted  and 
harassed  by  their  old  enemies  the  Blackfeet,  who, 
as  usual,  had  contrived  to  carry  off  many  of  their 
horses. 

In  the  course  ol  ihis  hunting  expedition,  a  small 
band  of  ten  lodges  separated  from  the  main  body,  in 
search  of  better  pasturage  for  their  horses.  About 
the  1st  of  March,  the  scattered  parties  of  Blackfoot 
banditti  united  to  the  number  of  three  hundred 
fighting  men,  and  determined  upon  some  signal 
blow.  Proceeding  to  the  former  camping  ground 
of  the  Nez  Perc6s,  ihey  found  the  lodges  deserted ; 
upon  which,  they  hid  themselves  among  the  willows 
and  thickets,  'hatching  for  some  straggler,  who  might 
guide  them  to  the  p'esent  "whereabout"  of  their 
intended  victims.  As  fortune  would  have  it,  Kosato, 
the  Blackfoot  renegade,  was  the  first  to  pass  along, 
accompanied  by  his  blood-bought  bride.  He  was  on 
his  way  from  the  main  body  of  hunters  to  the  little 
band  of  ten  lodges.  The  Elackfeet.  knew  and 
marked  him  as  he  passed ;  their  eyes  glared  with 
vindictive  fury ;  he  was  within  bowshot  of  their 
ambuscade ;  yet,  much  as  they  thirsted  for  his 
blood,  they  forbore  to  launch  a  shaft ;  sparing  him 
for  the  moment,  that  he  might  lead  them  to  their 
prey.     Secretly  following  his  trail,  they  discovered 


,**    ^• 


-V--  -  ■  "^* 


AN    INDIAN    HEROINE. 


169 


'  the  lodges  of  the  unfortunate  Ncz  Perces,  and  as- 
sailed them  with  tremendous  shouts  and  yellings. 
The  Nez  Perr  s  numbered  only  twenty  men,  but 
nine  of  whom  were  armed  with  fusees.  They 
showed  themsehes,  liowever,  as  brave  and  skilful 
in  war  as  they  h.id  bei  mild  and  longsufFcring  in 
peace.  Their  first  car(  vas  to  dig  holes  inside  of 
their  lodges;  thus  ensconced,  they  fought  despe- 
rately, laying  several  of  the  enemy  dead  upon  the 
ground;  while  they,  though  some  of  them  wr  -•, 
wounded,  lost  not  a  single  warrior. 

During  the  heat  of  the  battle,  a  woman  of  the 
Nez  Percys,  seeing  her  warrior  badly  wounded  and 
unable  to  fight,  seized  his  bow  and  nnows,  and 
bravely  and  successfully  defended  his  erson,  con- 
tributing to  the  safet\  of  the  whole  par  v- 

In  another  part  of  ihe  field  of  action,  a  7  cz  Pored 
had  crouched  bcliitid  the  trunk  of  a  fallen  tree,  and 
,  kept  up  a  galling  fire  from  his  covert.  A  Blackfoot 
seeing  this,  procured  a  round  log,  and  placing  it 
before  him  as  he  lay  prostrate,  rolled  it  forward 
towards  the  trunk  of  the  tree  behind  which  his 
enemy  lay  crouched.  It  was  a  moment  of  breath- 
less interest :  whoever  first  showed  himself  would 
be  in  danger  of  a  shot.  The  Nez  Perc6  put 
an  end  to  the  suspense.  The  moment  the  logs 
touched,  he  sprang  upon  his  feet,  and  quick  as  light- 
n  !g,  discharged  the  contents  of  his  fusee  into  the 
back  of  his  antagonist.  By  this  time,  the  Blackfeet 
had  got  possession  "f  the  horses ;  several  of  their 
warriors  lay  dead  on  the  field,  and  the  Nez  Percys, 
«  ensconced  in  their  lodges,  seemed  resolved  to  defend 

VOL.  I,  15 


^A. 


i  I 


«■- 


V 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-S) 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


■^  1^    1 2.2 

^    1^    ill  2-0 


1.4 


11^ 
1.6 


6" 


Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  MS80 

(716)  872-4503 


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170 


KOSATO    AND   HIS    BRIDE. 


<  V 


:!^ 


themselves  to  the  last  gasp.  It  so  happened  that 
the  chief  of  the  Blackfeet  party  was  a  renegade 
from  the  Nez  Percys;  but,  unlike  Kosato,  he  had 
no  vindictive  rage  against  his  native  tribe,  but  was 
rather  disposed,  now  he  had  got  the  booty,  to  spare 
all  unnecessary  effusion  of  blood.  He  held  a  long  yt 
parley,  therefore,  with  the  besieged,  and  finally  " 
drew  off  his  warriors,  taking  with  him  seventy 
horses.  It  appeared,  afterwards,  that  the  bullets 
of  the  Blackfeet  had  been  entirely  expended  in  the 
.  course  of  the  battle,  so  that  they  were  obliged  to 
make  use  of  stones  as  substitutes. 

At  the  outset  of  the  fight,  Kosato,  the  renegade, 
fought  with  fury  rather  than  valor :  animating  the 
others  by  word  as  well  as  deed.  A  wound  in  the 
head  from  a  rifie-ball  laid  him  senseless  on  the 
earth.  There  his  body  remained  when  the  battle 
was  over,  and  the  victors  were  leading  off  the  horses. 
His  wretched  wife  was  hanging  over  him  with  fran- 
tic lamentations.  The  conquerors  paused  and  urged  > 
her  to  leave  the  lifeless  renegado,  and  return  with 
them  to  her  kindred.  She  refused  to  listen  to  their 
solicitations,  and  they  passed  on.  As  she  sat  watch- 
ing the  features  of  Kosato,  and  giving  way  to  pas- 
sionate grief,  she  thought  she  perceived  him  to 
breathe.  She  was  not  mistaken.  The  ball,  which 
had  been  nearly  spent  before  it  struck  him,  had 
stunned  instead  of  killing  him.  By  the  ministry  of 
his  faithful  wife,  he  gradually  recovered ;  reviving 
to  a  redoubled  love  for  her,  and  hatred  of  his  native 
tribe.  w 

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^    FEMALE    "brave." 


171 


K 


As  to  the  female  who  had  so  bravely  defended 
her  husband,  she  was  elevated  by  the  tribe  to  a  rank 
far  above  her  sex,  and,  beside  other  honorable  dis- 
tinctions, was  thenceforward  permitted  to  take  a 
part  in  the  war  dances  of  the  braves ! 


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172 


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OPENING   OF   THE    CACHES. 


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I;  J 


CHAPTER   XVII. 


■■fe' 


Opening  of  the  caches — Detachments  of  Cerr6  and  Hod^dsB— 
Salmon  river  mountains — Superstition  of  an  Indian  trapper— 

.  Godin's  river — Preparations  for  trapping — An  alarm— An  inteiv 
ruption — ^A  rival  band — Phenomena  of  Snake  river  plain — Vast 
clefts  and  chasms — ^Ingulfed  streams — Sublime  scenery — ^A 
grand buiSalo hunt.  t.^  ,*  *>     »      -■  ^■ 

Captain  Bonneville  found  his  caches  perfectly 
secure;  and  having  secretly  opened  them,  he  selected 
such  articles  as  were  necessary  to  equip  the  free 
trappers,  and  to  supply  the  inconsiderable  trade 
with  the  Indians,  after  which  he  closed  them  again. 
The  free  trappers  being  newly  rigged  out  and  sup- 
plied, were  in  high  spirits,  and  swaggered  gayly 
about  the  camp.  To  compensate  all  hands  for  past 
suJ0Ferings,  and  to  give  a  cheerful  spur  to  further 
operations.  Captain  Bonneville  now  gave  the  men 
what,  in  frontier  phrase,  is  termed  "  a  regular  blow 
out."  It  was  a  day  of  uncouth  gambols,  and  frolics, 
and  rude  feasting.  The  Indians  joined  in  the  sports 
and  games  with  hearty  good-will,  and  all  was  mirth 
and  good  fellowship. 

It  was  now  the  middle  of  March,  and  Captain 
Bonneville  made  preparations  to  open  the  spring 
campaign.  He  had  pitched  upon  Malade  river  foy 
his  main  trapping  ground  for  the  season.    This  j^ 


m 


■■^ 


A/- 


SALMON   RIVER   MOUNTAINS. 


173 


a  stream  which  rises  among  the  great  bed  of  moun- 
tains north  of  the  Lava  plain,  and  after  a  winding 
course,  falls  into  Snake  river.  Previous  to  his  de- 
parture, the  captain  despatched  Mr.  Cerr^  with  a 
few  men,  to  visit  the  Indian  villages  and  purchase 
horses;  he  furnished  his  clerk,  Mr.  Hodgkiss,  also, 
with  a  small  stock  of  goods,  to  keep  up  a  trade  with 
(he  Indians  during  the  spring,  for  such  peltries  as 
they  might  collect,  appointing  the  caches  on  Sal- 
mon river  as  the  point  of  rendezvous,  where  they 
were  to  rejoin  him  on  the  1 5th  of  June  following. 

This  done,  he  set  out  for  Malade  river  with  a 
band  of  twenty-eight  men,  composed  of  hired  and 
free  trappers,  and  Indian  hunters,  together  with 
eight  squaws.  Their  route  lay  up  along  the  right 
fork  of  Salmon  river,  as  it  passes  through  the  deep 
defile  of  the  mountains.  They  travelled  very  slowly, 
not  above  five  miles  a  day,  for  muny  of  the  horses 
were  so  weak  that  the}  faltered  and  staggered  as 
they  walked.  Pasturage,  however,  was  now  grow- 
ing plentiful.  There  was  abundance  of  fresh  grass, 
which  in  some  places  had  attained  such  height  as  ^ 
to  wave  in  the  wind.  The  native  flocks  of  the 
wilderness,  the  mountain  sheep,  as  they  are  called 
by  the  trappers,  were  continually  to  be  seen  upon 
the  hills  between  which  they  passed,  and  a  good 
supply  of  mutton  was  provided  by  the  hunters,  as 
they  were  advancing  towards  a  region  of  scarcity. 

In  the  course  of  his  journey,  Captain  Bonneville 
had  occasion  to  remark  an  instance  of  the  many 
notions,  and  almost  superstitions,  which  prevail 
among  the  Indians,  and  among  some  of  the  white 

15* 


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174 


SUPERSTITION   OF  A   TRAPPER. 


men,  with  respect  to  the  sagacity  of  the  beaver. 
The  Indian  hunters  of  his  party  were  in  the  habit  of 
exploring  all  the  streams  along  which  they  passed, 
in  search  of  "  beaver  lodges,"  and  occasionally  set 
their  traps  with  some  success.  One  of  them,  how- 
ever, though  an  experienced  and  skilful  trapper, 
Was  invariably  unsuccessful.  Astonished  and  mor- 
tified at  such  unusual  bad  luck,  he  at  length  con- 
ceived the  idea,  that  there  was  some  odor  about 
his  person,  of  which  the  beaver  got  scent,  and  re- 
treated at  his  approach.  He  immediately  set  about 
a  thorough  purification.  Making  a  rude  sweating 
house  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  he  would  shut 
himself  up  until  in  a  reeking  perspiration,  and  then 
suddenly  emerging,  would  plunge  into  the  river.  A 
number  of  these  sweatings  and  plungings  having,  as 
he  supposed,  rendered  his  person  perfectly  "  inodor- 
ous," he  resumed  his  trapping  with  renovated  hope. 
About  the  beginning  of  April,  they  encamped 
upon  Godin's  river,  where  they  found  the  swamp 
full  of  "  muskrat  houses."  Here,  therefore.  Captain 
Bonneville  determined  to  remain  a  few  days  and 
make  his  first  regular  attempt  at  trapping.  That 
his  maiden  campaign  might  open  with  spirit,  he 
promised  the  Indians  and  free  trappers  an  extra 
price  for  every  muskrat  they  should  take.  All  now 
set  to  work  for  the  next  day's  sport.  The  utmost 
animation  and  gayety  prevailed  throughout  the 
camp.  Every  thing  looked  auspicious  for  their 
spring  campaign.  The  abundance  of  muskrats  in 
the  swamp,  was  but  an  earnest  of  the  nobler  game 
they  were  to  find  wlicn  they  should  reach  tlie  Ma- 


^- 


¥ 


AN   ALARM — ^A  REVERSE. 


175 


lade  river,  and  have  a  capital  beaver  country  all  to 
themselves,  where  they  might  trap  at  their  leisure, 
without  molestation.  < 

In  the  midst  of  their  gayety,  a  hunter  came  gal- 
loping into  the  camp,  shouting,  or  rather  yelling, 
"  A  trail !  a  trail ! — ^lodge  poles !  lodge  poles !" 

These  were  words  full  of  meaning  to  a  trapper's 
ear.  They  intimated  that  there  was  some  band  in 
the  neighborhood,  and  probably  a  hunting  party,  as 
they  had  lodge  poles  for  an  encampment.  The 
hunter  came  up  and  told  his  story.  He  had  dis- 
covered a  fresh  trail,  in  which  the  traces  made  by 
the  dragging  of  lodge  poles  were  distinctly  visible. 
The  buffalo,  too,  had  just  been  driven  out  of  the 
neighborhood,  which  showed  that  the  hunters  had 
already  been  on  the  range. 

The  gayety  of  the  camp  was  at  an  end ;  all  pre- 
parations for  muskrat  trapping  were  suspended,  and 
all  hands  sallied  forth  to  examine  the  trail.  Their 
worst  fears  were  soon  confirmed.  Infallible  signs 
showed  the  unknown  party,  in  the  advance,  to  be 
white  men ;  doubtless,  some  rival  band  of  trappers ! 
Here  was  competition  when  least  expected;  and 
that,  too,  by  a  party  already  in  the  advance,  who 
were  driving  the  game  before  them.  Captain 
Bonneville  had  now  a  taste  of  the  sudden  transi- 
tions to  which  a  trapper's  life  is  subject.  The 
buoyant  confidence  in  an  uninterrupted  hunt  was  at 
an  end ;  every  countenance  lowered  with  gloom  and 
disappointment. 

Captain  Bonneville  immediately  despatched  two 
spies  to  overtake  the  rival  party,  and  endeavor  to 


f 


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'  "* 


W^- 


176 


A   RIVAL    BAND. 


learn  their  plans ;  in  the  meantime,  he  turned  his 
back  .upon  the  swamp  and  its  muskrat  houses,  and 
followed  on  at  "  long  camps,"  which,  in  trapper's 
language,  is  equivalent  to  long  stages.  On  the  6th 
of  April,  he  met  his  spies  returning.  They  had 
kept  on  the  trail  like  hounds,  until  they  overtook 
the  party  at  the  south  end  of  Godin's  defile.  Here 
they  found  them  comfortably  encamped,  twenty-two 
prime  trappers,  all  well  appointed,  with  excellent 
horses  in  capital  condition,  led  by  Milton  Sublette, 
and  an  able  coadjutor,  named  Jarvie,  and  in  full 
march  for  the  Malade  hunting  ground.  iv 

This  was  stunning  news.  The  Malade  river 
was  the  only  trapping  ground  within  reach ;  but  to 
have  to  compete  there  with  veteran  trappers,  per- 
fectly at  homJs  among  the  mountains,  and  admirably 
mounted,  while  they  were  so  poorly  provided  with 
horses  and  trappers,  and  had  but  one  man  in  their 
party  acquainted  with  the  country — it  was  out  of 
the  question]  >  '      •         - 

The  only  hope  that  now  remained,  was  that  the 
snow,  which  still  lay  deep  among  the  mountains  of 
Godin  river,  and  blocked  up  the  usual  pass  to  the 
Malade  country,  might  detain  the  other  party,  until 
Captain  Bonneville's  horses  should  get  once  more 
into  good  condition  in  their  present  ample  pasturage. 

The  rival  parties  now  encamped  together ;  not  out 
of  companionship,  but  to  keep  an  eye  upon  each 
other.  Day  after  day  passed  by,  without  any  pos- 
sibility of  getting  to  the  Malade  country.  Sublette 
and  Jarvie  endeavored  to  f'oTce  their  way  across  the 
mountain ;  but  the  snows  lay  so  deep  as  to  oblige 


^■- 


i^-i-^-* 


••■-<& 


DANGEROUS    CHASMS. 


177 


them  to  turn  back.  In  the  meantime,  the  captain's 
horses  were  daily  gaining  strength,  and  their  hoofs 
improving,  which  had  been  worn  and  battered  by 
mountain  service.  The  captain,  also,  was  increas-  * 
ing  his  stock  of  provisions,  so  that  the  delay  was  all 
in  his  favor. 

To  any  one  who  merely  contemplates  a  map  of 
the  country,  this  difficulty  of  getting  from  Godin 
to  Malade  river  will  appear  inexplicable,  as  the 
intervening  mountains  terminate  in  the  great  Snake 
river  plain,  so  that,  apparently,  it  would  be  perfectly 
easy  to  proceed  round  their  bases. 

Here,  however,  occur  some  of  the  striking  phe- 
nomena of  this  wild  and  sublime  region.  The 
great  lower  plain  which  extends  to  the  feet  of  these 
mountains,  is  broken  up  near  their  bases  into  crests 
and  ridges,  resembling  the  surges  of  the  ocean 
breaking  on  a  rocky  shore. 

1  In  a  line  with  the  mountains,  the  plain  is  gashed 
with  numerous  and  dangerous  chasms,  from  four  to 
ten  feet  wide,  and  of  great  depth.  Captain  Bonne- 
ville attempted  to  sound  some  of  these  openings, 
but  without  any  satisfactory  result.  A  stone  drop- 
ped into  one  of  them  reverberated  against  the  sides 
for  apparently  a  very  great  depth,  and,  by  its  sound, 
indicated  the  same  kind  of  substance  with  the  sur- 
face, as  long  as  the  strokes  could  be  heard.  The 
horse,  instinctively  sagacious  in  avoiding  danger, 
shrinks  back  in  alarm  from  the  least  of  these 
chasms ;  pricking  up  his  ears,  snorting  and  pawing, 
until  permitted  to  turn  away. 

We  have  been  told  by  a  person  well  acquainted 


) 


*>■?-« 


# 


TV- 


178 


EXTENT    OF   THB    LATA    PLAIN. 


\i    ' 


'!    i 


f 


with  the  country,  that  it  is  sometimes  necessary  to 
travel  fifty  and  sixty  miles,  to  get  round  one  of 
these  tremendous  ravines.  Considerable  streams, 
like  that  of  Godin's  river,  that  run  with  a  bold,  free 
current,  lose  themselves  in  this  plain ;  some  of 
them  end  in  swamps,  others  suddenly  disappear ; 
finding,  no  doubt,  subterranean  outlets. 

Opposite  to  these  chasms.  Snake  river  makes 
two  desperate  leaps  over  precipices,  at  a  short  dis- 
tance from  each  other ;  one  twenty,  the  other  forty 
feet  in  height.  .^^. 

The  volcanic  plain  in  question,  forms  an  area  of 
about  sixty  miles  in  diameter,  where  nothing  meets 
the  eye  but  a  desolate  and  awful  waste ;  where  no 
grass  grows  nor  water  runs,  and  where  nothing  is 
to  be  seen  but  lava.  Ranges  of  mountains  skirt  this 
plain,  and,  in  Captain  Bonneville's  opinion,  were 
formerly  connected,  until  rent  asunder  by  some  con- 
vulsion of  nature.  Far  to  the  east,  the  Three 
Tetons  lift  their  heads  sublimely,  and  dominate  this 
wide  sea  of  lava ; — one  of  the  most  striking  features 
of  a  wilderness  where  every  thing  seems  on  a  scale 
of  stern  and  simple  grandeur. 

We  look  forward  with  impatience  for  some  able 
geologist  to  explore  this  sublime,  but  almost  un- 
known region. 

It  was  not  until  the  25th  of  April,  that  the  two 
parties  of  trappers  broke  up  their  encampments, 
and  undertook  to  cross  over  the  southwest  end  of 
the  mountain  by  a  pass  explored  by  their  scouts. 
From  various  points  of  the  mountain,  they  com- 
manded   boundless   prospects   of    the   lava   plain, 


!■.•,?■ 


* 


M 


^^i 


'«. 


p 


^ 


''« 


f '  V"  "*  ■  ^ 


m 


V 


nents, 
nd  of 
couts. 
com-    *<^ 
plain, 


*  ^   .  ^  * 


# 


BOISEE   RITSR. 


179 


stretching  away  in  cold  and  gloomy  barrenness  as 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  On  the  evening  of 
the  26th,  they  reached  the  plain  west  of  the  nioun» 
tain,  watered  by  the  Malade,  the  Bois6e,  and  other 
streams,  which  comprised  the  contemplated  trap- 
ping ground. 

The  country  about  the  Bois^e  (or  Woody)  river, 
is  extolled  by  Captain  Bonneville  as  the  most  en- 
chanting he  had  seen  in  the  far  west :  presenting 
the  mingled  grandeur  and  beauty  of  mountain  and 
plain ;  of  bright  running  streams  and  vast  grassy 
meadows,  waving  to  the  breeze. 

We  shall  not  follow  the  captain  throughout  his 
trapping  campaign,  which  lasted  until  the  begin- 
ning of  June ;  nor  detail  all  the  manoeuvres  of  the 
rival  trapping  parties,  and  their  various  schemes  to 
outwit  and  out-trap  each  other.  Suffice  it  to  say, 
that  after  having  visited  and  camped  about  various 
streams  with  various  success.  Captain  Bonneville 
set  forward  early  in  June  for  the  appointed  rendez- 
vous at  the  caches.  On  the  way,  he  treated  his 
party  to  a  grand  buffalo  hunt.  The  scouts  had 
reported  numerous  herds  in  a  plain  beyond  an  in- 
tervening height.  There  was  an  immediate  halt ; 
the  fleetest  horses  were  forthwith  mounted,  and  the 
party  advanced  to  the  summit  of  the  hill.  From 
hence,  they  beheld  the  great  plain  below  absolutely 
swarming  with  buffalo.  Captain  Bonneville  now 
appointed  the  place  where  he  would  encamp ;  and 
towards  which  the  hunters  were  to  drive  the  game. 
He  cautioned  the  latter  to  advance  slowly,  reserving 
the  strength  and  speed  of  the  horses,  until  within 


»• 


i.j 


,*.j 


?"*•» 


If 


■ 

'■  '*• 

,* 

,>%, 

A 

i " 

^ 

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\ 

r*  . 

*s    . 

■":1ft. 

m 


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ISO 


ORAND    BUFFALO   HUNT. 


if  1 


-V. 


p 


a  moderate  distance  of  the  herds.  Twenty-two 
horsemen  descended  cautiously  into  the  plain,  con- 
formably to  these  directions.  "  It  was  a  beautiful 
sight,"  says  the  captain,  "to  see  the  runners,  as 
they  are  called,  advancing  in  column,  at  a  slow  trot, 
until  within  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  the  out- 
skirts of  the  herd,  then  dashing  on  at  full  speed, 
until  lost  in  the  immense  multitude  of  buffaloes 
which  were  scouring  the  plain  in  every  direction." 
All  was  now  tumult  and  wild  confusion.  In  the 
meantime.  Captain  Bonneville  and  the  residue  of  the 
party  moved  on  to  the  appointed  camping  ground ; 
thither  the  most  expert  runners  succeeded  in  driv- 
ing numbers  of  buffalo,  which  were  killed  hard  by 
the  camp,  and  the  flesh  transported  thither  without 
difficulty.  In  a  little  while  the  whole  camp  looked 
like  one  great  slaughter-house ;  the  carcasses  were 
skilfully  cut  up,  great  fires  were  made,  scaffolds 
erected  for  drying  and  jerking  beef,  and  an  ample 
provision  made  for  future  subsistence.  On  the 
15th  of  June,  the  precise  day  appointed  for  the 
rendezvous.  Captain  Bonneville  and  his  party  ar- 
rived safely  at  the  caches.  .  ;    u 

Here  he  was  joined  by  the  other  detachments  of 
his  main  party,  all  in  good  health  and  spirits.  The 
caches  were  again  opened,  supplies  of  various  kinds 
taken  out,  and  a  liberal  allowance  of  aquavitcB  dis- 
tributed throughout  the  camp,  to  celebrate  with 
f  coper  conviviality  this  merry  meeting. 


*  "   " 


ff^   * 


A 


»*'»>-VV 


rH 

.-i;^^: 


as*; 


-iff  ■ 


> 


$ 


•• 


\ 


ly-two 
1,  con- 
autiful 
Brs,  as 
w  trot, 
he  out- 
speed, 
iffaloes 
action.'' 
In  the 
e  of  the 
ground ; 
in  driv- 
liard  by 
without 
3  looked 
les  were 
scaffolds 
n  ample 
On  the 
or  the 
arty  ar- 

nents  of 
The 
us  kinds 
)it(B  dis- 
ite  with 


-.fvv.i.. 


f'L 


* 


t 


,f.:  ■ 


INTRIOUB   or  KOSATO. 


\:'f'i'. 


181 


V     ; 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 


iU. 


Meeting  with  Hodgkisa — Misfortunes  of  the  Nez  Percys — Scheme! 
of  Koaato,  the  renegado— his  foray  into  the  Uorae  prairie — Inva* 
■ion  of  Blackfeet — Blue  John,  and  his  forlorn  hope — their  gene« 
rous  enterprise — their  fativ— Oonstemation  and  despair  of  th0 
village — Solemn  obsequies — Attempt  at  Indian  trado^Hudson*! 
Bay  Company's  monopoly — Arrangements  for  autumn — Break- 
ing up  of  an  encampment. 

Having  now  a  pretty  strong  party,  well  armed  and 
equipped.  Captain  Bonneville  no  longer  felt  the 
necessity  of  fortifying  himself  in  the  secret  places 
and  fastnesses  of  the  mountains ;  but  sallied  forth 
boldly  into  the  Snake  river  plain,  in  search  of  his 
clerk,  Hodgkiss,  who  had  remained  with  the  Nez 
Percys.  He  found  him  on  the  24th  of  June,  and 
learnt  from  him  another  chapter  of  misfortunes 
which  had  recently  befallen  that  ill-fated  race. 

After  the  departure  of  Captain  Bonneville,  in 
March,  Kosato,  the  renegade  Blackfoot,  had  re- 
covered from  the  wound  received  in  battle;  and 
with  his  strength  revived  all  his  deadly  hostility  to 
his  native  tribe.  He  now  resumed  his  efforts  to 
stir  up  the  Nez  Percys  to  reprisals  upon  their  old 
enemies;  reminding  them  incessantly  of  all  the 
outrages  and  robberies  they  had  recently  experi- 
enced, and  assuring  them  that  such  would  continue 

VOL.  I.  16 


■C 


M^& 


.a:^ 


--11  -"^vTTr- ■'"^^•y^T,  i      t  i^  ~ 


■  «; 


.      *^     . 


•>. 


182 


HIS    BAND   OF    BRAVES. 


'   I 


^if      ,• 


Urn. 


to  be  their  lot,  until  they  proved  themselves  men 
by  some  signal  retaliation. 

The  impassioned  eloquence  of  the  desperado,  at 
length  produced  an  effect;  and  a  band  of  braves 
enlisted  under  his  guidance,  to  penetrate  into  the 
Blackfoot  country,  harass  their  villages,  carry  off 
their  horses,  and  commit  all  kinds  of  depredations. 

Kosato  pushed  forward  on  his  foray,  as  far  as  the 
Horse  prairie ;  where  he  came  upon  a  strong  party 
of  Blackfeet.  Without  waiting  to  estimate  their 
force,  he  attacked  them  with  characteristic  fury, 
and  was  bravely  seconded  by  his  followers.  The 
contest,  for  a  time,  was  hot  and  bloody  :  at  length, 
as  is  customary  with  these  two  tribes,  they  paused, 
and  held  a  long  parley,  or  rather  a  war  of  words. 

"  What  need,"  said  the  Blackfoot  chief,  taunt- 
ingly, "  have  the  Nez  Perces  to  leave  their  homes, 
and  sally  forth  on  war  parties,  when  they  have 
danger  enough  at  their  own  doors  ?  If  you  want 
fighting,  return  to  your  villages ;  you  will  have 
plenty  of  it  there.  The  Blackfeet  warriors  have 
hitherto  made  war  upon  you  as  children.  They 
are  now  coming  as  men.  A  great  force  is  at  hand ; 
they  are  on  their  way  to  your  towns,  and  are  de- 
termined to  rub  out  the  very  name  of  the  Nez 
Percys  from  the  mountains.  Return,  I  say,  to  your 
towns,  and  fight  there,  if  you  wish  to  live  any  longer 
as  a  people." 

Kosato  took  him  at  his  word ;  for  he  knew  the 
character  of  his  native  tribe.  Hastening  back  with 
his  band  to  the  Nez  Percys  village,  he  told  all  that 
he  had  seen  and  heard ;  and  urged  the  most  prompt 


fi 


i,i 


t' 


'# 


mi 


* 
s  men       'm'. 


fi 


0 


.:»*• 


'CS: 


BLUE    JOHN. 


183 


and  strenuous  measures  for  defence.  The  Nez 
Percys,  however,  heard  him  witli  their  accustomed 
phlegm  :  the  threat  of  the  Blackfeet  had  been  often 
made,  and  as  often  had  proved  a  mere  bravado; 
such  they  pronounced  it  to  be  at  present,  and,  of 
course,  took  no  precautions. 

They  were  soon  convinced  that  it  was  no  empty 
menace.  In  a  few  days,  a  band  of  three  hundred 
Blackfeet  warriors  appeared  upon  the  hills.  All 
now  was  consternation  in  the  village.  The  force 
of  the  Nez  Perces  was  too  small  to  cope  with  the 
enemy  in  open  fight ;  many  of  the  young  men 
having  gone  to  their  relatives  on  the  Columbia  to 
procure  horses.  The  sages  met  in  hurried  council. 
What  was  to  be  done  to  ward  off  this  impending 
blow  which  threatened  annihilation  ?  In  this  mo- 
ment of  imminent  peril  and  alarm,  a  Pierced-nose 
chief,  named  Blue  John  by  the  whites,  stepped  for- 
ward and  suggested  a  desperate  plan,  which  he 
offered  to  conduct  in  person.  It  was,  to  approach 
secretly  with  a  small,  but  chosen  band,  through  a  de- 
file which  led  to  the  encampment  of  the  enemy,  and, 
by  a  sudden  onset,  to  drive  off  the  horses.  Should 
this  blow  be  successful,  the  spirit  and  strength  of 
the  invaders  would  be  broken,  and  the  Nez  Percys, 
having  horses,  would  be  more  than  a  match  for 
them.  Should  it  fail,  the  village  would  not  be 
worse  off  than  at  present,  when  destruction  ap- 
peared inevitable.  »=  ^        "   ^^  ^ 

Twenty-nine  of  the  choicest  warriors  instantly 
volunteered  to  follow  Blue  John  in  this  hazardous 
enterprise.     They  prepared  for  it  with  the  solemnity 


*' 

;* 


3*1  ;* 


* 
*•/■%'■ 


I-.' 


"I^j4^ 


■*  w^i. 


■♦»  ■ 


'Sr 


184 


BLUE   JOHN. 


■■*?■ 


r 


:| 


■1^: 


and  deyotion  peculiar  to  the  tribe.  Blue  John  con- 
sulted his  medicine,  or  talismanic  charm,  such  as 
every  chief  keeps  in  his  lodge  as  a  supernatural 
protection.  The  oracle  assured  him  that  his  enter- 
prise would  be  completely  successful,  provided  no 
rain  should  fall  before  he  had  passed  through  the 
defile ;  but  should  it  rain,  his  band  would  be  utterly 
cut  off. 

The  day  was  clear  and  bright;  and  Blue  John 
anticipated  that  the  skies  would  be  propitious.  He 
departed  in  high  game  spirit  with  his  forlorn  hope ; 
and  never  did  band  of  braves  Hiake  a  more  gallant 
display :  horsemen  and  horses  painted  and  deco- 
rated and  equipped  in  the  fiercest  and  most  glaring 
style ;  glittering  with  arms  and  ornaments,  and  flut- 
tering with  feathers. 

The  weather  continued  serene,  until  they  reached 
the  defile  ;  but  just  as  they  were  entering  it,  a  black 
cloud  rose  over  the  mountain  crest,  and  there  was 
a  sudden  shower.  The  warriors  turned  to  their 
leader  as  if  to  read  his  opinion  of  this  unlucky 
omen  ;  but  the  countenance  of  Blue  John  remained 
unchanged,  and  they  all  continued  to  press  forward. 
It  was  their  hope  to  make  their  way,  undiscovered, 
to  the  very  vicinity  of  the  Blackfoot  camp  :  but 
they  had  not  proceeded  far  in  the  defile,  when  they 
met  a  scouting  party  of  the  enemy.  They  attacked 
and  drove  them  among  the  hills,  and  were  pursuing 
them  with  great  eagerness,  when  they  heard  shouts 
and  yells  behind  them,  and  beheld  the  main  body 
of  the  Blackfeet  advancing. 

The  second  chief  wavered  a  little  at  the  sight. 


■■*.', 


♦# 


T>ir  -"■•  -    1-."  -■• 


:^.i 


BLUE   JOHN 


186 


and  proposed  an  instant  retreat.  "  We  came  to 
fight !"  repJ'ed  Blue  John,  sternly.  Then  giving 
his  war-whoop,  he  sprang  forward  to  the  conflict. 
His  braves  followed  him.  They  made  a  headlong 
and  desperate  charge  upon  the  enemy ;  not  with  the 
hope  of  victory,  but  the  determination  to  sell  their 
lives  dearly.  A  frightful  carnage,  rather  than  a 
regular  battle,  succeeded.  The  forlorn  band  laid 
heaps  of  their  enemies  dead  at  their  feet,  but  were 
overwhelmed  with  numbers,  and  pressed  into  a 
^orge  of  the  mountain,  where  they  continued  to 
fight  until  they  were  cut  to  pieces.  One,  only,  of 
the  thirty  survived.  He  sprang  on  the  horse  of  a 
Blackfoot  warrior  whom  he  had  slain,  and  escaping 
at  full  speed,  brought  home  the  baleful  tidings  to 
his  village. 

Who  can  paint  the  horror  and  desolation  df  the 
inhabitants  ?  The  flower  of  their  warriors  laid  low, 
and  a  ferocious  enemy  at  their  doors.  The  air  was 
rent  by  the  shrieks  and  lamentations  of  the  women, 
who,  casting  off  their  ornaments,  and  tearing  their 
hair,  wandered  about,  frantically  bewailing  the  dead, 
and  predicting  destruction  to  the  living.  The  re- 
maining warriors  armed  themselves  for  obstinate 
defence ;  but  showed  by  their  gloomy  looks  and 
sullen  silence,  that  they  considered  defence  hope- 
less. To  their '  surprise,  the  Blackfeet  refrained 
from  pursuing  their  advantage  :  perhaps  satisfied 
with  the  blood  already  shed,  or  disheartened  by  the 
loss  they  had  themselves  sustained.  At  any  rate, 
they  disappeared  from  the  hills,  and  it  was  soon  as- 
certained that  they  had  returned  to  the  Horse  prairie. 

\6* 


^•wl 


'T«S, 


i-^-. 


^(■^^li 


-•,  -^'   -t;-^  '\ji 


*i 


1JS6 


LAMENTATION   OVER   THE   SLAIN. 


I:: 


III 


The  unfortunate  Nez  Percys  now  began  once 
more  to  breathe.  A  few  of  their  warriors,  taking 
packhorses,  repaired  to  the  defile  to  bring  away  the 
bodies  of  their  slaughtered  brethren.  They  found 
them  mere  headless  trunks  ;  and  the  wounds  with 
which  they  were  covered,  showed  how  bravely  they 
had  fought.  Their  hearts,  too,  had  been  torn  out 
and  carried  off;  a  proof  of  their  signal  valor :  for 
in  devouring  the  heart  of  a  foe  renowned  for 
bravery,  or  who  has  distinguished  himself  in  battle, 
the  Indian  victor  thinks  he  appropriates  to  himself 
the  courage  of  the  deceased. 

*, .  Gathering  the  mangled  bodies  of  the  slain,  and 
strapping  them  across  their  packhorses,  the  warriors 
returned^  in  dismal  procession,  to  the  village.  The 
tribe  came  forth  to  meet  them ;  the  women  with 
piercing  cries  and  wailings  ;  the  men  with  downcast 
countenances,  in  which  gloom  and  sorrow  seemed, 
fixed  as  if  in  marble*  The  mutilated  and  almost 
undistinguishable  bodies  were  placed  in  rows  upon 
the  ground,  in  the  midst  of  the  assemblage ;  and  the 
scene  of  heart-rending  anguish  and  lamentation  that 
ensued,  would  have  confounded  those  who  insist  on 
Indian  stoicism.  ^a  s     «^?^=     .        v 

Such  was  the  disastrous  event  that  had  over- 
whelmed the  Nez  Perc6s  tribe,  during  the  absence 
of  Captain  Bonneville  :  and  he  was  informed  that 
Kosato,  the  renegade,  who,  being  stationed  in  the  vil- 
lage, had  been  prevented  from  going  on  the  forlorn 
hope,  was  again  striving  to  rouse  the  vindictive 
feelings  of  his  adopted  brethren,  and  to  prompt  them 
to  revenge  the  slaughter  of  their  devoted  braves. 


ft^ 

J 

t 


n^ 


^^'  -'  T^ 


1 1 


HUDSON  S   BAY  TRADER. 


187 


'i* 


'^■ 


During  his  sojourn  on  the  Snake  river  plain, 
Captain  Bonneville  made  one  of  his  first  essays  at 
the  strategy  of  the  fur  trade.  There  was  at  this 
tinne  an  assemblage  of  Nez  Percys,  Flatheads,  and 
Cottonois  Indians,  encamped  together  upon  the 
plain ;  well  provided  with  beaver,  which  they  had 
collected  during  the  spring.  These  they  were  wait- 
ing to  traffic  with  a  resident  trader  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  who  was  stationed  among  them,  and 
with  wliom.  they  were  accustomed  to  deal.  As  it 
happened,  the  trader  was  almost  entirely  destitute 
of  Indian  goods ;  his  spring  supply  not  having  yet 
reached  him.  Captain  Bonneville  had  secret  intel-. 
ligence  that  the  supplies  were  on  the  way,  and 
would  soon  arrive  ;  he  hoped,  however,  by  a  prompt 
move,  to  anticipate  their  amval  and  secure  the 
market  to  himself.  Throwing  himself,  therefore, 
among  the  Indians,  he  opened  his  packs  of  mer- 
chandise, and  displayed  the  most  tempting  wares ; 
bright  cloths,  and  scarlet  blankets,  and  glittering 
ornaments,  and  every  thing  gay  and  glorious  in  the 
eyes  of  warrior  or  squaw :  all,  however,  was  in 
vain.  The  Hudson's  Bay  trader  was  a  perfect 
master  of  his  business ;  thoroughly  acquainted  with 
the  Indians  he  had  to  deal  with,  and  held  such  con- 
trol over  them,  that  none  dared  to  act  openly  in 
opposition  to  his  wishes  :  nay,  more — he  came  nigh 
turning  the  tables  upon  the  captain,  and  shaking  the 
allegiance  of  some  of  his  free  trappers,  by  distri- 
buting liquors  among  them.  The  latter,  therefore, 
was  glad  to  give  up  a  competition,  where  the  war 
was  likely  to  be  carried  into  his  own  camp. 


4- 


'f  -Sfe 


.■sf-- 


'% 


188 


HUDSON  S    BAY    TRADER. 


!  i 


^ 


&A 


\:   K 


W 


}  ' 


In  fact,  the  traders  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany have  advantages  over  all  competitors  in  the 
trade  '  beyond  the  Rocky  mountains.  That  huge 
monopoly  centres  within  itself  not  merely  its  own 
hereditary  and  long  established  power  and  influ- 
ence ;  but  also  those  of  its  ancient  rival,  but  now 
integral  part,  the  famous  Northwest  Company.  It 
has  thus  its  races  of  traders,  trappers,  hunters,  and 
voyageurs,  born  and  brought  up  in  its  service,  and 
inheriting  from  preceding  generations  a  knowledge 
and  aptitude  in  every  thing  connected  with  Indian 
life,  and  Indian  traffic.  In  the  process  of  years, 
this  company  has  been  enabled  to  spread  its  ramifi- 
cations in  every  direction ;  its  system  of  intercourse 
is  founded  upon  a  long  and  intimate  knowledge  of 
the  character  and  necessities  of  the  various  tribes ; 
and  of  all  the  fastnesses,  defiles,  and  favorable  hunt- 
ing grounds  of  the  country.  Their  capital,  also, 
and  the  manner  in  which  their  supplies  are  distri- 
buted at  various  posts,  or  forwarded  by  regular  cara- 
vans, keep  their  traders  well  supplied,  and  enable 
them  to  furnish  their  goods  to  the  Indians  at  a 
cheap  rate.  Their  men,  too,  being  chiefly  drawn 
from  the  Canadas,  where  they  enjoy  great  influence 
and  control,  are  engaged  at  the  most  trifling  wages, 
anft  supported  at  little  cost :  the  provisions  which 
they  take  with  them  being  little  more  than  Indian 
corn  and  grease.  They  are  brought,  also,  into 
the  most  perfect  discipline  and  subordination,  es- 
pecially when  their  leaders  have  once  got  them 
to  their  scene  of  action  in  the  heart  of  the  wil- 
derness. ,   ,   .'    .,<  •  , 


ts- 


,-*V' 


I 


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¥. 


t- 


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.# 


COTTONOIS   INDIANS. 


180 


These  circumstances  combine  to  give  the  leaders 
of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  a  decided  advantage 
over  all  the  American  companies  that  come  within 
their  range ;  so  that  any  close  competition  vrith 
them  is  almost  hopeless. 

Shortly  after  Captain  Bonneville's  ineffectual  at- 
tempt to  participate  in  the  trade  of  the  associated 
camp,  the  supplies  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
arrived;  and  the  resident  trader  was  enabled  to 
monopolize  the  market. 

It  was  now  the  beginning  of  July;  in  the  latter 
part  of  which  month,  Captain  Bonneville  had  ap- 
pointed a  rendezvous  at  Horse  creek,  in  Green  river 
valley,  with  some  of  the  parties  which  he  had  de- 
tached in  the  preceding  year.  He  now  turned  his 
thoughts  in  that  direction,  and  prepared  for  the 
journey. 

The  Cottonois  were  anxious  for  him  to  proceed 
at  once  to  their  country ;  which,  they  assured  him, 
abounded  in  beaver.  The  lands  of  this  tribe  lie 
immediately  north  of  those  of  the  Flathead  s,  and 
,are  open  to  the  inroads  of  the  Blackfeet.  It  is  true, 
the  latter  professed  to  be  their  allies ;  but  they  had 
been  guilty  of  so  many  acts  of  perfidy,  that  the 
Cottonois  had,  latterly,  renounced  their  hollow 
friendship,  and  attached  themselves  to  the  Plat- 
heads  and  Nez  Percys.  These  they  had  accom- 
panied in  their  migrations,  rather  than  remain  alone 
at  home,  exposed  to  the  outrages  of  the  Blackfeet. 
They  were  now  apprehensive  that  these  marauders 
would  range  their  country  during  their  absence,  and 
destroy  the  beaver :  this  was  their  reason  for  urging 


^ 


'*■- 


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«'•■>•       -'J' 


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I  ' 


190 


HUNTING   ARRANGEMENTS, 


I  t 


t-t 


4: 


Captain  Bonneville  to  make  it  his  autumnal  hunt- 
ing ground.  The  latter,  however,  was  not  to  be 
tempted :  his  engagements  required  his  presence  at 
the  rendezvous  in  Green  river  valley ;  and  he  had 
already  formed  his  ulterior  plans. 

An  unexpected  difficulty  now  arose.  The  free 
trappers  suddenly  made  a  stand,  and  declined  to 
accompany  him.  It  was  a  long  and  a  weary  jour- 
ney :  the  route  lay  through  Pierre's  Hole,  and 
other  mountain  passes  infested  by  the  Blackfeet, 
and  recently  the  scenes  of  sanguinary  conflicts. 
They  were  not  disposed  to  undertake  such  unne- 
cessary toils  and  dangers,  when  they  had  good  and  -'\ 
secure  trapping  grounds  nearer  at  hand,  on  the 
head  waters  of  Salmon  river. 

As  these  were  free  and  independent  fellows, 
whose  will  and  whim  were  apt  to  be  law — who 
had  the  whole  wilderness  before  them,  "  where  to 
choose,"  and  the  trader  of  a  rival  company  at  hand, 
ready  to  pay  for  their  services — it  was  necessary  to 
bend  to  their  wishes.  Captain  Bonneville  fitted 
them  out,  therefore,  for  the  hunting  ground  in  ques-  w^- 
tion ;  appointing  Mr.  Hodgkiss  to  act  as  their 
partisan,  or  leader,  and  fixing  a  rendezvous  where 
he  should  meet  them  in  the  course  of  the  ensuing 
winter.  The  brigade  consisted  of  twenty-one  free 
trappers,  and  four  or  five  hired  men  as  camp- 
keepers.  This  was  not  the  exact  arrangement  of  a 
trapping  party  ;  which,  when  accurately  organized, 
is  composed  of  two-thirds  trappers,  whose  duty  < 
leads  them  continually  abroad  in  pursuit  of  game, 
and  one-third  camp-keepers  j  who  cook,  pack,  and 


V  '^ 


r 


A 


t 


*'"' 


M' 


DISPERSION    OF    THE    CAMPS. 


191 


unpack ;  set  up  the  tents,  take  care  of  the  horses, 
and  do  all  other  duties  usually  consigned  by  the 
Indians  to  their  women.  This  part  of  the  service 
is  apt  to  be  fulfilled  by  French  Creoles  from  Canada 
and  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi. 

In  the  meantime,  the  associated  Indians  having 
completed  their  trade,  and  received  their  supplies, 
were  all  ready  to  disperse  in  various  directions.  As 
there  was  a  formidable  band  of  Blackfeet  just  over 
a  mountain  to  the  northeast,  by  which  Hodgkiss 
and  his  free  trappers  would  have  to  pass  ;  and  as  it 
was  known  that  those  sharp-sighted  marauders  had 
their  scouts  out,  watching  every  movement  of  the 
encampments,  so  as  to  cut  off  stragglers,  or  weak 
detachments.  Captain  Bonneville  prevailed  upon 
the  Nez  Perces  to  accompany  Hodgkiss  and  his 
party,  until  they  should  be  beyond  the  range  of  the 
enemy. 

The  Cottonois,  and  the  Pends  Oreilles,  deter- 
mined to  move  together  at  the  same  time ;  and  to 
pass  close  under  the  mountain  infested  by  the 
Blackfeet ;  while  Captain  Bonneville,  with  his  party, 
was  to  strike  in  an  opposite  direction  to  the  south- 
southeast,  bending  his  course  for  Pierre's  Hole,  on 
his  way  to  Green  river. 

Accordingly,  on  the  6th  of  July,  all  the  camps 
were  raised  at  the  same  moment ;  each  party  taking 
its  separate  route.  The  scene  was  wild  and  pic- 
turesque :  the  long  lines  of  traders,  trappers,  and 
Indians,  with  their  rugged,  and  fantastic  dresses 
and   accoutrements ;    their  varied  weapons,  their 


■•"'»■■?>■>» 


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♦*^ 


■'^<: 


I.^i6jl,  . 


('  I, 


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i 


\ 


t  !• 


J    ! 


\  • 


192 


DISPERSION   OF   THB    CAMPS. 


I  I 


.  I 


innumerable  horses»  some  under  the  saddle,  some 
burthened  with  packages,  others  following  in  droves; 
all  stretching  in  lengthening  caravans  across  the  vast 
landscape,  and  making  for  different  points  of  the 
plains  and  mountains. 


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le  vast 

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of  the 

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PRSCAUTI058   ON   THl   MARCH. 


193 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

Precautions  in  dangerous  defiles — Trappers*  mode  of  defence  on  a 
prairie — A  mysterious  visitor — Arrival  in  Qreen  river  valley — 
Adventures  of  the  detachments — The  forlorn  partisan — His  tale 
of  disasters. 

As  the  route  of  Captain  Bonneville  lay  through 
what  was  considered  the  most  perilous  part  of  all 
this  region  of  dangers,  he  took  all  his  measures 
with  military  skill,  and  observed  the  strictest  cir- 
cumspection. When  on  the  march,  a  small  scout- 
ing party  was  always  thrown  in  the  advance,  to 
reconnoitre  the  whole  country  through  which  they 
were  to  pass.  The  encampments  were  selected 
with  the  greatest  care,  and  a  continual  watch  was 
kept  up  night  and  day.  The  horses  were  brought 
in  and  picketed  at  night,  and  at  daybreak  a  party 
was  sent  out  to  scour  the  neighborhood  for  half  a 
mile  round,  beating  up  every  grove  and  thicket  that 
could  give  shelter  to  a  lurking  foe.  When  all  was 
reported  safe,  the  horses  were  cast  loose  and  turned 
out  to  graze.  Were  such  precautions  generally 
observed  by  traders  and  hunters,  we  should  not  so 
often  hear  of  parties  being  surprised  by  the  Indians. 
Having  stated  the  military  arrangements  of  the 
captain,  we  may  here  mention  a  mode  of  defence 
on  the  open  prairie^  which  we  h»Te  heard  from  a 


VOL.    I 


17 


►^IP' 


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194 


PRECAUTIONS   ON   A   PRAIRIB. 


veteran  in  the  Indian  trade.  When  a  party  of 
trappers  is  on  a  journey  with  a  convoy  of  goods  or 
peltries,  every  man  has  three  packhorses  under  his 
care ;  eacli  horse  laden  with  three  packs.  Every 
man  is  provided  with  a  picket  with  an  iron  head,  a 
mallet,  and  hobbles,  or  leathern  fetters  for  the  horses. 
The  trappers  proceed  across  the  prairie  in  a  long 
line ;  or  sometimes  three  parallel  lines,  sufficiently 
distant  from  each  other  to  prevent  the  packs  from 
interfering.  At  an  alarm,  when  there  is  no  covert 
at  hand,  the  line  wheels  so  as  to  bring  the  front  to 
the  rear  and  form  a  circle.  All  then  dismount, 
drive  their  pickets  into  the  ground  in  the  centre, 
fasten  the  horses  to  them,  and  hobble  their  fore 
legs,  so  that,  in  case  of  alarm,  they  cannot  break 
away.  They  then  unload  them,  and  dispose  of 
their  packs  as  breastworks  on  the  periphery  of  the 
qircle ;  each  man  having  nine  packs  behind  which 
to  shelter  himself.  In  this  promptly  formed  fort- 
ress, they  await  the  assault  of  the  enemy,  and  are 
enabled  to  set  large  bands  of  Indians  at  defiance. 

The  first  night  of  his  march.  Captain  Bonneville 
encamped  upon  Henry's  fork ;  an  upper  branch  of 
Snake  river,  called  after  the  first  American  trader 
that  erected  a  fort  beyond  the  mountams.  About 
an  hour  after  all  hands  had  come  to  a  hajt,  the  clat- 
ter of  hoofs  was  heard,  and  a  solitary  female,  of 
the  Nez  Perc6  tribe,  came  galloping  up.  She  was 
mounted  on  a  mestang  or  half  wild  horse,  which  she 
managed  with  a  long  rope  hitched  round  the  under 
jaw  by  way  of  bridle.  Dismounting,  she  walked 
silently  into  the  midst  of  the  camp,  and  there  seated 


%■ 


^S^raF 


f  1   '«*► 


^ 


Y 


^  *1jf 


'.-.!). 


^' 


THE    MYSTERIOUS    ViaiTER. 


195 


herself  on  the  ground,  ^!iU  holding  her  horse  by  the 
long  halter. 

Tiie  sudden  and  lonely  apparition  of  this  woman, 
and  her  calm,  yet  resolute  demeanor,  awakened 
universal  curiosity.  The  hunters  and  trappers 
gathered  round,  and  gazed  on  her  as  something 
mysterious.  She  remained  silent,  but  maintained 
her  air  of  calmness  and  self-possession.  Captain 
Bonneville  approached  and  interrogated  her  as  to 
the  object  of  her  mysterious  visit.  Her  answer 
was  brief  but  earnest — "  I  love  the  whites — I  will 
go  with  them."  She  was  forthwith  invited  to  a 
lodge,  of  which  she  readily  took  possession,  and 
from  that  time  forward  was  considered  one  of  the 
camp. 

In  consequence,  very  probably,  of  the  military 
precautions  of  Captain  Bonneville,  he  conducted 
his  party  in  safety  through  this  hazardous  region. 
No  accident  of  a  disastrous  kind  occurred,  ex- 
cepting the  loss  of  a  horse,  which,  in  passing 
along  the  giddy  edge  of  the  precipice,  called  the 
Cornice,  a  dangerous  pass  between  Jackson's  and 
Pierre's  Hole,  fell  over  the  brink  and  was  dashed 
to  pieces. 

On  the  13th  of  July,  (1833,)  Captain  Bonneville 
arrived  at  Green  river.  As  he  entered  the  valley, 
he  beheld  it  strewed  in  every  direction  with  the 
carcasses  of  buffaloes.  It  was  evident  that  Indians 
had  recently  been  there,  and  in  great  numbers. 
Alarmed  at  this  sight,  and  fearing  that  all  was  not 
well,  he  came  to  a  halt,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  dark, 
sent  out  spies  to  his  place  of  rendezvous  on  Horse 


•^i 


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196 


MEETING    OF    THE    BANDS. 


creek,  where  he  had  expected  to  meet  with  his 
detached  parties  of  trappers  on  the  following  day. 
Early  in  the  morning,  the  spies  made  their  appear- 
ance in  the  camp,  and  with  them  came  three  trappers 
of  one  of  his  bands,  from  the  rendezvous,  who  told 
him  his  people  were  all  there  expecting  him.  As 
to  the  slaughter  among  the  buffaloes,  it  had  been 
made  by  a  friendly  band  of  Shoshonies,  who  had 
fallen  in  with  one  of  his  trapping  parties,  and  ac- 
companied them  to  the  rendezvous.  Having  im- 
parted this  intelligence,  the  three  worthies  from  the 
rendezvous  broached  a  small  keg  of  "  alcohol" 
which  they  had  brought  with  them,  to  enliven  this 
merry  meeting.  The  liquor  went  briskly  round ; 
all  absent  friends  were  toasted,  and  the  party  moved 
forward  to  the  rendezvous  in  high  spirits. 

The  meeting  of  associated  bands,  who  have  been 
separated  from  each  other  on  these  hazardous  en- 
terprises, is  always  interesting;  each  having  its  tale 
of  perils  and  adventures  to  relate.  Such  was  the 
case  with  the  various  detachments  of  Captain 
Bonneville's  company,  thus  brought  together  on 
Horse  creek.  Here  was  the  detachment  of  fifty 
men  which  he  had  sent  from  Salmon  river,  in  the 
preceding  month  of  November,  to  winter  on  Snake 
river.  They  had  met  with  many  crosses  and  losses 
in  the  course  of  their  spring  hunt,  not  so  much  from 
Indians  as  from  white  men.  They  had  come  in 
competition  with  rival  trapping  parties,  particularly- 
one  belonging  to  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Com- 
pany ;  and  they  had  long  stories  to  relate  of  their 
manoeuvres  to  forestall  or  distress  each  other.    In 


I*- 


.9b... 


;>*^ 


■"4 


ii* 


■^hk^ 


<  I 


THE   UNLUCKY   PARTISAN. 


197 


f^-'^ 


-W-h 


^sf 


fact,  in  these  virulent  and  sordid  competitions,  the 
trappers  of  each  party  were  more  intent  upon  injur- 
ing their  rivals,  than  benefiting  themselves ;  break- 
ing each  other's  traps,  trampling  and  tearing  to 
pieces  the  beaver  lodges,  and  doing  every  thing  in 
their  power  to  mar  the  success  of  the  hunt  We 
forbear  to  detail  these  pitiful  contentions. 

The  most  lamentable  tale  of  disasters,  however, 
that  Captain  Bonneville  had  to  hear,  was  from  a 
partisan,  whom  he  had  detached  in  the  preceding 
year,  with  twenty  men,  to  hunt  through  the  out- 
skirts of  the  Crow  country,  and  on  the  tributary 
streams  of  the  Yellowstone ;  from  whence  he  was 
to  proceed  and  join  him  in  his  winter  quarters  on 
Salmon  river.  This  partisan  appeared  at  the  ren- 
dezvous without  his  party,  and  a  sorrowful  tale  of 
disasters  had  he  to  relate.  In  hunting  the  Crow 
country,  he  fell  in  with  a  village  of  that  tribe ; 
notorious  rogues,  jockeys,  and  horse  stealers,  and 
errant  scamperers  of  the  mountains.  These  de- 
coyed most  of  his  men  to  desert,  and  carry  off 
horses,  traps,  and  accoutrements ;  and  when  he 
attempted  to  retake  the  deserters,  the  Crow  war- 
riors ruffled  up  to  him,  declared  the  deserters  were 
their  good  friends,  had  determined  to  remain  among 
them,  and  should  not  be  molested.  The  poor  par- 
tisan, therefore,  was  fain  to  leave  his  vagabonds 
among  these  birds  of  their  own  feather,  and,  being 
too  weak  in  numbers  to  attempt  the  dangerous  pass 
across  the  mountains  to  meet  Captain  Bonneville 
on  Salmon  river,  he  made,  with  the  few  that  re- 
mained faithful  to  him,   for  the  neighborhood   of 

17* 


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V'*'*' 


198 


'•<<^ 


ARICKARA    SPIES. 


»   ' 


Tullock's  fort,  on  the  Yellowstone,  under  the  pro- 
tection of  which  he  went  into  winter  quarters. 

He  soon  found  out  that  the  neighborhood  of  the 
fort  was  nearly  as  bad  as  the  neighborhood  of  the 
Crows.  His  men  were  continually  stealing  away 
thither,  with  whatever  beaver  skins  they  could 
secrete  or  lay  their  hands  on.  These  they  would 
exchange  with  the  hangers-on  of  the  fort  for  whis- 
key, and  then  revel  in  drunkenness  and  debauchery 

The  unlucky  partisan  made  another  move.  As- 
sociating with  his  party  a  few  free  trappers,  whom 
he  met  with  in  this  neighborhood,  he  started  off 
early  in  the  spring  to  trap  on  the  head  waters  of 
Powder  river.  In  the  course  of  the  journey,  his 
horses  were  so  much  jaded  in  traversing  a  steep 
mountain,  that  he  was  induced  to  turn  them  loose 
to  graze  during  the  night.  The  place  was  lonely  ; 
the  pass  was  rugged ;  there  was  not  the  sign  of  an 
Indian  in  the  neighborhood ;  not  a  blade  of  grass 
that  had  been  turned  by  a  footstep.  But  who  can 
calculate  on  security  in  the  midst  of  the  Indian 
country,  where  the  foe  lurks  in  silence  and  secrecy, 
and  seems  to  come  and  go  on  the  wings  of  the 
wind  ?  The  horses  had  scarce  been  turned  loose, 
when  a  couple  of  Arickara  (or  Rickaree)  warriors 
entered  the  camp.  They  affected  a  frank  and 
friendly  demeanor ;  but  their  appearance  and  move- 
ments awakened  the  suspicions  of  some  of  the 
veteran  trappers,  well  versed  in  Indian  wiles.  Con- 
vinced that  they  were  spies  sent  on  some  sinister 
errand,  they  took  them  into  custody,  and  set  to 
work  to  drive  in  the  horses.     It  was  too  late — the 


¥ 


...UfKiAU^  '..•^ 


^f^ 


m 


'  i 


A   ROBBERY. 


199 


5  pro- 
of the 
of  the 

away 

could 
would 
■  whis- 
ichery 
.    As- 
whom 
led  off 
.ters  of 
ey,  his 
a  steep 
n  loose 
lonely ; 
n  of  an 
>f  grass 
vho  can 

Indian 
ecrecy, 

of  the 
i  loose, 
Ararriors 
nk  and 
i  move- 

of  the 
i.    Con- 
sinister 
set  to 

ite — the 


horses  were  already  gone.  In  fact,  a  war  party  of 
Arickaras  had  been  hovering  on  their  trail  for  seve- 
ral days,  watching  with  the  patience  and  persever- 
ance of  Indians,  for  some  moment  of  negligence 
and  fancied  security,  to  make  a  successful  swoop. 
The  two  spies  had  evidently  been  sent  into  the 
camp  to  create  a  diversion,  while  their  confederates 
carried  off  the  spoil. 

The  unlucky  partisan,  thus  robbed  of  his  horses, 
turned  furiously  on  his  prisoners,  ordered  them  to 
be  bound  hand  and  foot,  and  swore  to  put  them  to 
death  unless  his  property  were  restored.  The  rob- 
bers, who  soon  found  that  their  spies  were  in  cap- 
tivity, now  made  their  appearance  on  horseback, 
and  held  a  parley.  The  sight  of  them,  mounted  on 
the  very  horses  they  had  stolen,  set  the  blood  of 
the  mountaineers  in  a  ferment ;  but  it  was  useless 
to  attack  them,  as  they  would  have  but  to  turn  their 
steeds  and  scamper  out  of  the  reach  of  pedestrians. 
A  negotiation  was  now  attempted.  The  Arickaras 
offered  what  they  considered  fair  terms ;  to  barter 
one  horse,  or  even  two  horses,  for  a  prisoner.  The 
mountaineers  spurned  at  their  offer,  and  declared 
that,  unless  all  the  horses  were  relinquished,  the 
prisoners  should  be  burnt  to  death.  To  give  force 
to  their  threat,  a  pyre  of  logs  and  fagots  was 
heaped  up  and  kindled  into  a  blaze. 

The  parley  continued;  the  Arickaras  released 
one  horse  and  then  another,  in  earnest  of  their  pro- 
position ;  finding,  however,  that  notliing  short  of 
the  relinquishment  of  all  their  spoils  would  pur- 
chase the  lives  of  the  captives,  they  abandoned 


■f ... 


i- 


&^ 


200 


»  I 


AN    ATROCIOUS    PUNISHMENT. 


them  to  their  fate,  moving  off  with  many  parting 
words  and  lamentable  howlmgs.  The  prisoners 
seeing  them  depart,  and  knowing  the  horrible  fate 
that  awaited  them,  made  a  desperate  effort  to  es- 
cape. They  partially  succeeded,  but  were  severely 
wounded  and  retaken ;  then  dragged  to  the  blazing 
pyre,  and  burnt  to  death  in  the  sight  of  their  re- 
treating comrades.  . 

Such  are  the  savage  cruelties  that  white  men 
learn  to  practise,  who  mingle  in  savage  life ;  and 
such  are  the  acts  that  lead  to  terrible  recrimination 
on  the  part  of  the  Indians.  Should  we  hear  of  any 
atrocities  committed  by  the  Arickaras  upon  captive 
white  men,  let  this  signal  and  recent  provocation 
be  borne  in  mind.  Individual  cases  of  the  kind 
dwell  in  the  recollections  of  whole  tribes ;  and  it  is 
a  point  of  honor  and  conscience  to  revenge  them. 

The  loss  of  his  horses  completed  the  ruin  of  the 
unlucky  partisan.  It  was  out  of  his  power  to 
prosecute  his  hunting,  or  to  maintain  his  party ;  the 
only  thought  now  was  how  to  get  back  to  civilized 
life.  At  the  first  water  course,  his  men  built  canoes 
and  committed  themselves  to  the  stream.  Some  en- 
gaged themselves  at  various  trading  establishments 
at  which  they  touched,  others  got  back  to  the  settle- 
ments. As  to  the  partisan,  he  found  an  opportunity 
to  make  his  way  to  the  rendezvous  at  Green  river 
valley;  which  he  reached  in  time  to  render  to 
Captain  Bonneville  this  forlorn  account  of  hia 
misadventures. 


J  .. 


•1; 

i 


«f  r 


i^--^ 


* 


■#-•• 


THE   GREEN   RIVER   GATHERING. 


201 


•  it 


■V,-,  ■r:'r'c.,Wr^'  ^.^  ,  ';j>;-^*-. .  ^44  ■■ ; 


® 


■:-  -..'■■      :.      ■:  _  ':-:-    .  '   i  4..:--,    ' 

CHAPTER    XX. 

Gathering  in  Green  river  valley— Visitings  and  feastings  of  leaders 
— Rough  wadsailing  among  the  trappers — Wild  blades  of  the 
mountains — Indian  belles — Potency  of  bright  beads  and  red 
blankets — Arrival  of  supplies — Revelry  and  extravagance — Mad 
wolves — The  lost  Indian. 

The  Green  river  valley  was  at  this  time  the  scene 
of  one  of  those  general  gatherings  of  traders,  trap- 
pers, and  Indians,  that  we  have  already  mentioned. 
The  three  rival  companies,  which,  for  a  year  past 
had  been  endeavoring  to  out-trade,  out-trap,  and 
outwit  each  other,  were  here  encamped  in  close 
proximity,  awaiting  their  annual  supplies.  About 
four  miles  from  the  rendezvous  of  Captain  Bonne- 
ville was  that  of  the  American  Fur  Company,  hard 
by  which,  was  that  also  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur 
Company.  *  •     •  %   , 

After  the  eager  rivalry  and  almost  hostility  dis- 
played by  these  companies  in  their  late  campaigns, 
it  might  be  expected  that,  when  thus  brought  in 
juxtaposition,  they  would  hold  themselves  warily 
and  sternly  aloof  from  each  other,  and,  should  they 
happen  to  come  in  contact,  brawl  and  bloodshed 
would  ensue. 

No  such  thing  !  Never  did  rival  ia\\ryers,  after  a 
wrangle  at  the  bar,  meet  with  more  social  good- 


* 


m- 


-\.l 


'•  III 


s*' 


♦•* 


202 


A   TRAPPER  S   JUBILEE. 


humor  at  a  chrcuit  dinner.  The  hunting  season 
over,  all  past  tricks  and  manoeuvres  are  forgotten, 
all  feuds  and  bickerings  buried  in  obli\ion.  From 
the  middle  of  June  to  the  middle  of  September,  all 
trapping  is  suspended ;  for  the  beavers  are  then  shed- 
ding their  furs,  and  their  skins  are  of  little  value. 
This,  then,  is  the  trapper's  holiday,  when  he  is  all 
for  fun  and  frolic,  and  ready  for  a  saturnalia  among 
the  mountains. 

At  the  present  season,  too,  all  parties  were  in 
good-humor.  The  year  had  been  productive.  Com- 
petition, by  threatening  to  lessen  their  profits,  had 
quickened  their  wits,  roused  their  energies,  and 
made  them  turn  every  favorable  chance  to  the  best 
advantage;  so  that,  on  assembling  at  their  respect- 
ive places  of  rendezvous,  each  company  found  itself 
in  possession  of  a  rich  stock  of  peltries. 

The  leaders  of  the  different  companies,  there- 
fore, mingled  on  terms  of  perfect  good  fellowship ; 
interchanging  visits,  and  regaling  each  other  in  the 
best  style  their  respective  camps  afforded.  But  the 
rich  treat  for  the  worthy  cap'tain  was  to  see  the 
"chivalry"  of  the  various  encampments,  engaged  in 
contests  of  skill  at  running,  jumping,  wrestling, 
shooting  with  the  rifle,  and  running  horses.  And 
then  their  rough  hunters'  feastings  and  carousals 
They  drank  together,  they  sang,  they  laughed,  they 
whooped ;  they  tried  to  outbrag  and  outlie  each  other 
in  stories  of  their  adventures  and  achievements 
Here  the  free  trappers  were  in  all  their  glory  ;  they 
considered  themselves  the  "  cocks  of  the  walk,"  and 
always  carried  the  highest  crests.    Now  and  theu 


\  tp         iT 


'1^ 
■    ► 


1 


^*_ 


-dir  W 


m. 


PRODIGALS   OP   THE   WILDERNESS. 


203 


-s?<S:- 


It.. 


familiarity  was  pushed  too  far,  and  would  effervesce 
into  a  brawl,  and  a  "rough  and  tumble"  fight ;  but 
it  all  ended  in  cordial  reconciliation  and  maudlin 
endearment. 

The  presence  of  the  Shoshonie  tribe  contributed 
occasionally  to  cause  temporary  jealousies  and  feuds. 
The  Shoshonie  beauties  became  objects  of  rivalry 
among  some  of  the  amorous  mountaineers.  Happy 
was  the  trapper  who  could  muster  up  a  red  blanket, 
a  string  of  gay  beads,  or  a  paper  of  precious  ver- 
milion, with  which  to  win  the  smiles  of  a  Shoshonie 
fair  one. 

The  caravans  of  supplies  arrived  at  the  valley 
just  at  this  period  of  gallantry  and  good  fellowship. 
Now  commenced  a  scene  of  eager  competition  and 
wild  prodigality  at  the  different  encampments. 
Bales  were  hastily  ripped  open,  and  all  their  motley 
contents  poured  forth.  A  mania  for  purchasing 
spread  itself  throughout  the  several  bands, — muni- 
tions for  war,  for  hunting,  for  gallantry,  were  seized 
upon  with  equal  avidity — rifles,  hunting  knives, 
traps,  scarlet  cloth,  red  blankets,  garish  beads,  and 
glittering  trinkets,  were  bought  at  any  price,  and 
scores  run  up  without  any  thought  how  they  were 
ever  to  be  rubbed  off.  The  free  trappers,  especially, 
were  extravagant  in  their  purchases.  For  a  free 
mountaineer  to  pause  at  any  paltry  consideration  of 
dollars  and  cents,  in  the  attainment  of  any  object 
that  might  strike  his  fancy,  would  stamp  him  with 
the  mark  of  the  beast  in  the  estimation  of  his  com- 
rades. For  a  trader  to  refuse  one  of  these  free  and 
flourishing  blades  a  credit,  whatever  unpaid  scores 


■•V 

J* 


-^♦■'' 


IjL      ^.,l'rr,-         «* 


-.J!     - 


45^11 


?. 


..-^ 


^4 


."o.  - . 


»F 


^#^ 


204 


MAD   WOLTSS. 


>1#  --^  - 


might  stare  hina  in  the  face,  would  be  a  flagrant 
affront  scarcely  to  be  forgiven,    t 

Now  succeeded  another  outbreak  of  revelry  and 
extravagance.  The  trappers  were  newly  fitted  out 
and  arrayed;  and  dashed  about  with  their  horses 
caparisoned  in  Indian  style.     The  Shoshonie  beau- 

i  ties  also  flaunted  about  in  all  the  colors  of  the  rain- 
bow. Every  freak  of  prodigaUty  was  indulged  to  its 
full  extent,  and  in  a  little  while  most  of  the  trappers, 
having  squandered  away  all  their  wages,  and  per- 
haps run  knee  deep  in  debt,  were  ready  for  another 
hard  campaign  in  the  wilderness. 

During  this  season  of  folly  and  frolic,  there  was 
an  alarm  of  mad  wolves  in  the  two  lower  camps. 
One  or  more  of  these  animals  entered  the  camps 
for  three  nights  successively,  and  bit  several  of  the 
people. 

Captain  Bonneville  relates  the  case  of  an  Indian, 
who  was  a  universal  favorite  in  the  lower  camp. 
He  had  been  bitten  by  one  of  these  animals.  Being 
out  with  a  party  shortly  afterwards,  he  grew  silent 
and  gloomy,  and  lagged  behind  the  rest  as  if  he 
*"^  wished  to  leave  them.  They  halted  and  urged  him 
to  move  faster,  but  he  entreated  them  not  to  ap- 

.  1  proach  him,  and,  leaping  from  his  horse,  began  to 
roll  frantically  on  the  earth,  gnashing  his  teeth  and 
foaming  at  the  mouth.  Still  he  retained  his  senses, 
end  warned  his  companions  not  to  come  near  him, 
as  he  should  not  be  able  to  restrain  himself  from 
biting  them.  They  hurried  off  to  obtain  relief ;  but 
on  their  return  he  was  nowhere  to  be  found.  His 
horse  and  his  accoutrements  remained  upon  the 


i«j*s 


W 


•JM-  ,i%  .-■,-. 


^ 


t  I  f 


i 


■%, 


•    ,V,.  jf  I 


■'i.f. 


y*<^ 


THE    LOST   INDIAN. 


806 


spot.  Three  or  four  days  afterwards,  a  solitary 
Indian,  believed  to  be  the  same,  was  observed 
crossing  a  valley,  and  pursued ;  but  he  darted  away 
into  the  fastnesses  of  the  mountains,  and  was  seen 
no  more. 

Another  instance  we  have  from  a  different  person 
who  was  present  in  the  encampment.  One  of  the 
men  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Company  had 
been  bitten.  He  set  out  sho'rtly  afterwards,  in  com- 
pany with  two  white  men,  on  his  return  to  the  settle- 
ments. In  the  course  of  a  few  days  he  shewed 
symptoms  of  hydrophobia,  and  became  raving  to- 
wards night.  At  length,  breaking  away  from  his 
companions  he  rushed  into  a  thicket  of  willows, 
where  they  left  him  to  his  fate  ! 


^ 


■.^;,'     y 


18 


vf' 


Vf- 


^'-\:^  f'^t 


i0i 


».\ 


S^-.^/^^,. 


".•■■-.   'IK 


'  ,'-1    -    ^'n      !*•  «        i-^i 


'"^ 


■"'   i> 


-m 


tmmmmmm 


* 


m 


■    ■(»■'■ 


fi 


^. 


EXPLORING   SCHEMES. 


t* 


%.  '. 


■  1/  ^.  >  \.i.^ 


w. 


«1,  >  -i-v 


CHAPTER    XXI. 


.  >i 


Schemes  of  Captain  Bonneville — The  Great  Salt  lak&— Expedition 
to  explore  it — Preparations  for  a  Journey  to  tlie  Bighorn. 

Captain  Bonneville  now  found  himself  at  the 
head  of  a  hardy,  well  seasoned,  and  well  appointed 
company  of  trappers,  all  benefited  by  at  least  one 
year's  experience  among  the  mountains,  and  capa- 
ble of  protecting  themselves  from  Indian  wiles  and 
stratagems,  and  of  providing  for  their  subsistence 
wherever  game  was  to  be  found.  He  had,  also,  an 
excellent  troop  of  horses,  in  prime  concuion  and  fit 
for  hard  service.  He  now  determined,  therefore, 
to  strike  out  into  some  of  the  bolder  parts  of  his 
scheme.  One  of  these  was  to  carry  his  expeditions 
into  some  of  the  unknown  tracts  of  the  far  west,* 
beyond  what  is  generally  termed  the  buffalo  range. 
This  would  have  something  of  the  merit  and  charm 
of  discovery,  so  dear  to  every  brave  and  adventur- 
ous spirit.  Another  favorite  project  with  him  was 
to  establish  a  trading  post  on  the  lower  part  of  the 
Columbia  river,  near  the  Multnomah  valley,  and  to 
endeavor  to  retrieve  for  his  country  some  of  the  lost 
trade  of  Astoria. 

The  first  of  the  above  mentioned  views  was,  at 
present,  uppermost  in  his  mind — the  exploring  of 


^■f-W 


m 


.m- 


.■^^i:>i 


■^ 


♦r 


-S. 


>Wj* 


'■-• 


THE   GREAT   SALT  LAKE. 


207 


unknown  regions.  Among  the  grand  features  of 
the  stupendous  wilderness  about  which  he  was 
roaming,  is  one  which  appears  to  have  made  a  vivid 
impression  on  his  mind,  and  to  have  been  clothed 
by  his  imagination  with  vague  and  ideal  charms. 
This  is  a  great  lake  of  salt  water,  which  laves  the 
feet  of  the  mountains,  but  extends  far  to  the  west- 
southwest,  into  one  of  those  vast  and  elevated  plat- 
eaus of  land,  which  range  high  above  the  level  of 
the  Pacific. 

Captain  Bonneville  gives  a  striking  account  of  the 
lake  when  seen  from  the  land.  As  you  ascend  the 
mountains  about  its  shores,  says  he,  you  behold  this 
immense  body  of  water  spreading  itself  before  you, 
and  stretching  further  and  further,  in  one  wide  and 
far  reaching  expanse,  until  the  eye,  wearied  with 
continued  and  strained  attention,  rests  in  the  blue 
dimness  of  distance,  upon  lofty  ranges  of  mountains, 
confidently  asserted  to  rise  from  the  bosom  of  the 
waters.  Nearer  to  you,  the  smooth  and  unruffled 
surface  is  studded  with  little  islands,  where  the 
mountain  sheep  roam  in  considerable  numbers. 
What  extent  of  lowland  may  be  encompassed  by 
the  high  peaks  beyond,  must  remain  for  the  present 
matter  of  mere  conjecture ;  though  from  the  form 
of  the  summits,  and  the  breaks  which  may  be  dis- 
covered among  them,  there  can  be  little  doubt  thaj; 
they  are  the  sources  of  streams  calculated  to  water 
large  tracts,  which  are  probably  concealed  from 
view  from  the  rotundity  of  the  lake's  surface.  At 
some  future  day,  in  all  probability,  the  rich  harvest 
of  beaver  fur,  which  may  be  reasonably  anticipated 


■«•'. 


'% ' 


1 


■^^ 


208 


THE    GREAT   SALT   LAKE. 


M; 


in  such  a  spot,  will  tempt  adventurers  to  reduce  all 
this  doubtful  region  to  the  palpable  certainty  of  a 
beaten  track.  At  present,  however,  destitute  of 
the  means  of  making  boats,  the  trapper  stands  upon 
the  shore,  and  gazes  upon  a  promised  land  which 
his  feet  are  never  to  tread. 

Such  is  the  somewhat  fanciful  view  which  Cap- 
tain Bonneville  gives  of  this  great  body  of  water. 
He  has  evidently  taken  part  of  his  ideas  concerning 
it  from  the  representations  of  others,  who  have 
somewhat  exaggerated  its  features.  It  is  reported 
to  be  about  one  hundred  and  Afty  miles  long,  and 
fifty  miles  broad.  The  ranges  of  mountain  peaks 
which  Captain  Bonneville  speaks  of,  as  rising  from 
its  bosom,  are  probably  the  summits  of  mountains 
beyond  it,  which  may  be  visible  at  a  vast  distance, 
when  viewed  from  an  eminence,  in  the  transparent 
atmosphere  of  these  lofty  regions.  Several  large 
islands  certainly  exist  in  the  lake ;  one  of  which  is 
said  to  be  mountainous,  but  not  by  any  means  to 
the  extent  required  to  furnish  the  series  of  peaks 
above  mentioned. 

Captain  Sublette,  in  one  of  his  early  expeditions 
across  the  mountains,  is  said  to  have  sent  four  men 
in  a  skin  canoe,  to  explore  the  lake,  who  professed 
to  have  navigated  all  around  it ;  but  to  have  suffered 
excessively  from  thirst,  the  water  of  the  lake  being 
extremely  salt,  and  there  being  no  fresh  streams 
running  into  it. 

Captain  Bonneville  doubts  this  report,  or  that  the 
men  accomplished  the  circumnavigation,  because, 
he  says,  the  lake  receives  several  large  streams 


■  -j-^yi* 


H" 


•r-i;^ 


^^- 


X  ,    -, 


V.     „',ja& 


» 


J 


THE    GREAT   8ALT   LAKE. 


209 


from  the  mountains  which  bound  it  to  the  east. 
In  the  spring  when  these  streams  are  swollen ; 
by  rain  and  by  the  melting  of  the  snows,  the 
lake  rises  several  feet  above  its  ordinary  level ; 
during  the  summer,  it  gradually  subsides  again, 
leaving  a  sparkling  zone  of  the  finest  salt  upon  its 
shores. 

The  elevation  of  the  vast  plateau  on  which  this 
lake  is  situated,  is  estimated  by  Captain  Bonneville 
at  one  and  three-fourths  of  a  mile  above  the  level 
of  the  ocean.  The  admirable  purity  and  transpa- 
rency of  the  atmosphere  in  this  region,  allowing 
objects  to  be  seen,  and  the  report  of  fire-arms  to 
be  heard,  at  an  astonishing  distance ;  and  its  ex- 
treme dryness,  causing  the  wheels  of  waggons  to 
fall  to  pieces,  as"  instanced  in  former  passages  of 
this  work,  are  proofs  of  the  great  altitude  of  the 
Rocky  mountain  plains.  That  a  body  of  salt 
water  should  exist  at  such  a  height,  is  cited  as 
a  singular  phenomenon  by  Captain  Bonneville, 
though  the  salt  lake  of  Mexico  is  not  much  infe- 
rior in  elevation.* 

To  have  this  lake  properly  explored,  and  all  its 
secrets  revealed,  was  the  grand  scheme  of  the  cap- 
tain for  the  present  year ;  and  while  it  was  one  in 
which  his  imagination  evidently  took  a  leading  part, 
he  believed  it  would  be  attended  with  great  profit, 

*  The  lake  of  Tezcuco  which  surrounds  the  city  of  Mexico,  the 
largest  and  lowest  of  the  five  lakes  on  the  Mexican  plateau,  and 
the  one  most  impregnated  with  saline  particles,  is  seven  thousand 
four  hundred  and  sixty-eight  feet,  or  nearly  one  mile  and  a  half 
above  the  level  of  the  sea. 


18' 


# 


^ 


% 


;W  v;*?' 


Jj* 


m 


'^ 


■r 

ij 


11^ 


*^ 


;i" 


fc 


% 


210 


TRANSPORTATION   OF   PELTRIES. 


from  the  numerous  beaver  streams  with  which  the 
lake  must  be  fringed. 

This  momentous  undertaking  he  confided  to  his 
lieutenant,  Mr.  Walker,  in  whose  experience  and 
ability  he  had  great  confidence.  He  instructed  him 
to  keep  along  the  shores  of  the  lake,  and  trap  in  all 
the  streams  on  his  route.  He  was  also  to  keep  a 
journal,  and  minutely  to  record  the  events  of  his 
journey,  and  every  thing  curious  or  interesting, 
making  maps  or  charts  of  his  route,  and  of  the  sur- 
rounding country. 

No  pains  nor  expense  were  spared  in  fitting  out 
the  party  of  which  he  was  to  take  command,  which 
was  composed  of  forty  men.  They  had  complete 
supplies  for  a  year,  and  were  to  meet  Captain 
Bonneville  in  the  ensuing  summer,  in  the  valley  of 
Bear  river,  the  largest  tributary  of  the  Salt  lake, 
which  was  to  be  his  point  of  general  rendezvous. 

The  next  care  of  Captain  Bonneville,  was  to 
arrange  for  the  safe  transportation  of  the  peltries 
which  he  had  collected,  to  the  Atlantic  states.  The 
conducting  of  the  convoy  was  to  be  undertaken  by 
Mr.  Cerr6  ;  it  was  necessary  to  fix  upon  the  route 
by  which  he  should  proceed. 

Mr.  Robert  Campbell,  the  partner  of  Sublette, 
was  at  this  time  in  the  rendezvous  of  the  Rocky 
Mountain  Fur  Company,  having  brought  up  their 
supplies.  He  was  about  to  set  off  on  his  return, 
with  the  peltries  collected  during  the  year,  and  in- 
tended to  proceed  through  the  Crow  country,  to  the 
head  of  navigation  on  the  Bighorn  river,  and  to 


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TRANSPORTATION   OP   PELTRIES. 


All 


descend  in  boats  down  that**  river,  the  Missouri,  and 
the  Yellowstone,  to  St.  Louis.  , 

Captain  Bonneville  determined  to  forward  his 
peltries  by  the  same  route.  To  accompany  Cerre 
to  the  point  of  embarcation,  and  then  to  make  an 
autumnal  hunt  in  the  Crow  country. 


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212 


THE    CROW   COUNTRY. 


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CHAPTER   XXII. 


The  Crow  country — A  Crow  paradise — Habits  of  the  Crowl^— 
Anecdotes  of  Rose,  the  renegade  white  man — his  fights  with  the 
Blackfeet — his  elevation — his  death — Arapooish,  the  Crow  chief 
— his  eagle — Adventure  of  Robert  Campbell — Honor  among 
Crows.  ,        ' 

Before  we  accompany  Captain  Bonneville  into  the 
Crow  country,  we  will  impart  a  few  facts  about  this 
wild  region,  and  the  wild  people  who  inhabit  it.  We 
are  not  aware  of  the  precise  boundaries,  if  there  are 
any,  of  the  country  claimed  by  the  Crows ;  it  ap- 
pears to  extend  from  the  Black  hills  to  the  Rocky 
mountains,  including  a  part  of  their  lofty  ranges,  and 
embracing  many  of  the  plains  and  valleys  watered 
by  the  Wind  river,  the  Yellowstone,  the  Powder 
river,  the  little  Missouri,  and  the  Nebraska.  The 
country  varies  in  soil  and  climate ;  there  are  vast 
plains  of  sand  and  clay,  studded  with  large  red  sand 
hills :  other  parts  are  grand  and  picturesque :  it 
possesses  warm  springs,  and  coal  mines,  and 
abounds  with  game. 

But  let  us  give  the  account  of  the  country  as  ren- 
dered by  Arapooish,  a  Crow  chief,  to  Mr.  Robert 
Campbell,  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Company. 

"  The  Crow  country,"  said  he,  "  is  a  good  coun- 
try.   The  Great  Spirit  has  put  it  exactly  in  the  right 


M:^. 


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THE    CROW    COUNTRY. 


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■WH?^ 


place ;  while  you  are  in  it  you  fare  well ;  whenever 
you  go  out  of  it,  which  ever  way  you  travel,  you 
will  fare  worse. 

"  If  you  go  to  the  south,  there  you  have  to  wander 
over  great  barren  plains ;  the  water  is  warm  and 
bad,  and  you  meet  the  fever  and  ague.  p; 

"To  the  north  it  is  cold;  the  winters  are  long 
and  bitter,  with  no  grass ;  you  cannot  keep  horses 
there,  but  must  travel  with  dogs.  What  is  a  coun- 
try without  horses ! 

"  On  the  Columbia  they  are  poor  and  dirty,  pad- 
dle about  in  caiioes,  and  eat  fish.  Their  teeth  are 
worn  out ;  they  are  always  taking  fishbones  out  of 
their  mouths.     Fish  is  poor  food. 

"  To  the  east,  they  dwell  in  villages ;  they  live 
well ;  but  they  drink  the  muddy  water  of  the  Mis- 
souri— that  is  bad.  A  Crow's  dog  would  not  drink 
such  water. 

"  About  the  forks  of  the  Missouri  is  a  fine  coun- 
try ;  good  water ;  good  grass  ;  plenty  of  buffalo.  In 
summer,  it  is  almost  as  good  as  the  Crow  country ; 
but  in  winter  it  is  cold ;  the  grass  is  gone  ;  and  there 
is  no  salt  weed  for  the  horses. 

"  The  Crow  country  is  exactly  in  the  right  place. 
It  has  snowy  mountains  and  sunny  plains ;  all  kinds 
of  climates  and  good  things  for  every  season. 
When  the  summer  heats  scorch  the  prairies,  you 
can  draw  up  under  the  mountains,  where  the  air 
is  sweet  and  cool,  the  grass  fresh,  and  the  bright 
streams  come  tumbling  out  of  the  snow  banks. 
There  you  can  hunt  the  elk,  the  deer,  and  the  ante- 
lope, when  their  skins  are  fit  for  dressing;  there 


im 


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214 


THE    CROW    COUNTRY. 


you  will  find  plenty  of  white  bears  and  mountain 
sheep.  „     , 

'^  In  the  autumn,  when  your  horses  are  fat  and 
strong  from  the  mountain  pastures,  you  can  go  down 
into  the  plains  and  hunt  the  buffalo,  or  trap  beaver 
on  the  streams.  And  when  winter  comes  on,  you 
can  take  shelter  in  the  woody  bottoms  along  the 
rivers ;  there  you  will  find  buffalo  meat  for  your- 
selves, and  cotton-wood  bark  for  your  horses :  or 
you  may  winter  in  the  Wind  river  valley,  where 
there  is  salt  weed  in  abundance. 

"  The  Crow  country  is  exactly  in  the  right  place. 
Every  thing  good  is  to  be  found  there.  There  is 
no  country  like  the  Crow  country." 

Such  is  the  eulogium  on  his  country  by  Arapooish. 

We  have  had  repeated  occasions  to  speak  of  the 
restless  and  predatory  habits  of  the  Crows.  They 
can  muster  fifteen  hundred  fighting  men;  but  their  in- 
cessant wars  with  the  Blackfeet,  and  their  vagabond, 
predatory  habits,  are  gradually  wearing  them  out. 

In  a  recent  work,  we  related  the  circumstance  of 
a  white  man  named  Rose,  au  outlaw,  and  a  design- 
ing vagabond,  who  acted  as  guide  and  interpreter  to 
Mr.  Hunt  and  his  party,  on  their  journey  across  the 
mountains  to  Astoria ;  who  came  near  betraying 
them  into  the  hands  of  the  Crows,  and  who  remained 
among  the  tribe,  marrying  one  of  their  women,  and 
adopting  their  congenial  habits.*  A  few  anecdotes 
of  the  subsequent  fortunes  of  that  renegade  may  not 
be  uninteresting,  especially  as  they  are  connected 
with  the  fortunes  of  the  tribe. 

*  See  Astoria,  vol  i. 


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ROSE,  THE   OUTLAW. 


215 


Rose  was  powerful  in  frame  and  fearless  in  spirit : 
and  soon  by  his  daring  deeds  took  his  rank  among 
the  first  braves  of  the  tribe.  He  aspired  to  com- 
mand, and  knew  it  was  only  to  be  attained  by 
desperate  exploits.  He  distinguished  himself  in 
repeated  actions  with  the  Blackfeet.  On  one  occa- 
sion, a  band  of  those  savages  had  fortified  them- 
selves within  a  breastwork,  and  could  not  be  harmed. 
Rose  proposed  to  storm  the  work.  "  Who  will  take 
the  lead  ?"  was  the  demand.  "  I !"  cried  he  ;  and 
putting  himself  at  their  head,  rushed  forward.  The 
first  Blackfoot  that  opposed  him,  he  shot  down  with 
his  rifle,  and,  snatching  up  the  war-club  of  his  victim, 
killed  four  others  within  the  fort.  The  victory  was 
complete,  and  Rose  returned  to  the  Crow  village 
covered  with  glory,  and  bearing  five  Blackfoot 
scalps,  to  be  erected  as  a  trophy  before  his  lodge. 
From  this  time,  he  was  known  among  the  Crows 
by  the  name  of  Che-ku-kaats,  or,  "  the  man  who 
killed  five."  He  became  chief  of  the  village,  or 
rather  band,  and  for  a  time  was  the  popular  idol. 
His  popularity  soon  awakened  envy  among  the 
native  braves ;  he  was  a  stranger,  an  intruder,  a 
white  man.  A  party  seceded  from  his  command. 
Feuds  and  civil  wars  succeeded  that  lasted  for  two 
or  three  years,  until  Rose,  having  contrived  to  set 
his  adopted  brethren  by  the  ears,  left  them,  and 
went  down  the  Missouri  in  1823.  Here  he  fell  in 
with  one  of  the  earliest  trapping  expeditions  sent  by 
General  Ashley  across  the  mountains.  It  was  con- 
ducted by  Smith,  Fitzpatrick,  and  Sublette.  Rose 
enlisted  with  them  as  guide  and  interpreter.    When 


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216 


ROSE,    THE    OUTLAW. 


he  got  them  among  the  Crows,  he  was  exceedingly 
generous  with  their  goods  ;  making  presents  to  the 
brdves  of  his  adopted  tribe,  as  became  a  high-minded 
chief. 

This,  doubtless,  helped  to  revive  his  popularity. 
In  that  expedition,  Smith  and  Fitzpatrick  were  rob- 
bed of  their  horses  in  Green  river  valley ;  the  place 
where  the  robbery  took  place  still  bears  the  name 
of  Horse  creek.  We  are  not  informed  whether  the 
horses  were  stolen  through  the  instigation  and  ma- 
nagement of  Rose  ;  it  is  not  improbable,  for  such 
was  the  perfidy  he  had  intended  to  practise  on  a 
former  occ  sion  towards  Mr.  Hunt  and  his  party. 

The  last  anecdote  we  have  of  Rose  is  from  an 
Indian  trader.  When  General  Atkinson  made  his 
military  expedition  up  the  Missouri,  in  1825,  to 
protect  the  fur  trade,  he  held  a  conference  with  the 
Crow  nation,  at  which  Rose  figured  as  Indian  dig- 
nitary and  Crow  interpreter.  The  military  were 
tationed  at  some  little  distance  from  the  scene  of 
the  "big  talk;"  while  the  general  and  the  chiefs 
were  smoking  pipes  and  making  speeches,  the 
oflicers,  supposing  all  was  friendly,  left  the  troops, 
and  drew  near  the  scene  of  ceremonial.  Some  of 
the  more  knowing  Crows,  perceiving  this,  stole 
quietly  to  the  camp,  and,  unobserved,  contrived  to 
stop  the  touch-holes  of  the  fieldpieces  with  dirt. 
Shortly  after,  a  misunderstanding  occurred  in  the 
conference  :  some  of  the  Indians,  knowing  the  can- 
non to  be  useless,  became  insolent.  A  tumult  arose. 
In  the  confusion.  Colonel  OTallan  snapped  a  pis- 
tol in  the  face  of  a  brave,  and  knocked  him  down 


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Its  to  the 
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vere  rob- 
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the  name 
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ROSE,  TUfi    OUTLAW. 


817 


with  the  butt  end.  The  Crows  were  all  in  a  fury. 
A  chance  medley  fight  was  on  the  point  of  taking 
place,  when  Rose,  his  natural  sympatliies  as  a  white 
man  suddenly  recurring,  broke  the  stock  of  his 
fusee  over  the  head  of  a  Crow  warrior,  and  laid  so 
vigorously  about  him  with  the  barrel,  that  he  soon 
put  the  whole  throng  to  flight.  Luckily,  as  no  lives 
had  been  lost,  this  sturdy  ribroasting  calmed  the 
fury  of  the  Crows,  and  the  tumult  ended  without 
serious  conseqilences. 

What  was  the  ultimate  fate  of  this  vagabond  hero 
is  not  distinctly  known.  Some  report  him  to  have 
fallen  a  victim  to  disease,  brought  on  by  his  licen-  .. 
tious  life ;  others  assert  that  he  was  murdered  in  a 
feud  among  the  Crows.  After 'all,  his  residence 
among  these  savages,  and  the  influence  he  ac- 
quired over  them,  had,  for  a  time,  some  beneficial 
effects.  He  is  said,  not  merely  to  have  rendered 
them  more  formidable  to  the  Blackfeet,  but  to 
have  opened  their  eyes  to  the  policy  of  cultivating 
the  friendship  of  the  white  men. 

After  Rose's  death,  his  policy  continued  to  be 
cultivated,  with  indifferent  success,  by  Arapooish, 
the  chief  already  mentioned,  who  had  been  his  great 
friend,  and  whose  character  he  had  contributed  to 
develope.  This  sagacious  chief  endeavored  on  every 
occasion,  to  restrain  the  predatory  propensities  of 
his  tribe  when  directed  against  the  white  men.  "  If 
we  keep  friends  with  them,"  said  he,  "  we  have 
nothing  to  fear  from  the  Blackfeet,  and  can  rule  the 
mountains."  Arapooish  pretended  to  be  a  great 
''medicine  man;"  a  character  among  the  Indians 

VOL.  I.         '  19 


■^.• 


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>>'" 


*> 


-«^ 


218 


*? 


■3k 


^^ 


4^ 


>H, 


ARAP00I8H,   THE    CROW    CHIEF. 


which  is  a  compound  of  priest,  doctor,  prophet,  and 
conjuror.  He  carried  about  with  him  a  tame  eagle, 
as  his  "medicine"  or  famihar.  With  the  white 
men,  he  acknowledged  that  this  was  all  charlatan- 
ism; but  said  it  was  necessary,  to  give  him  weight 
and  influence  among  his  people. 

Mr.  Robert  Campbell,  from  whom  we  have  most 
of  these  facts,  in  the  course  df  one  of  his  trapping 
expeditions,  was  quartered  in  the  village  of  Ara- 
pooish,  and  a  guest  in  the  lodge  of  the  chieftain 
He  had  collected  a  large  quantity  of  furs,  and,  fearful 
of  being  plundered,  he  deposited  but  a  part  in  the 
lodge  of  the  chief;  the  rest  he  buried  in  a  cache. 
One  night,  Arapooish  came  into  the  lodge  with  a 
cloudy  brow,  and  seated  himself  for  a  time  without 
saying  a  word.  At  length,  turning  to  Campbell, 
"  You  have  more  furs  with  you,"  said  he,  "  than  you 
have  brought  into  my  lodge." 

"  I  have,"  replied  Campbell.     ' 

"  Where  are  they  ?"  ,      ' 

Campbell  knew  the  uselessness  of  any  preva- 
rication with  an  Indian ;  and  the  importance  of 
complete  frankness.  He  described  the  exact  place 
where  he  had  concealed  his  peltries.  ;.j,|^ 

V  "  'Tis  well,"  replied  Arapooish ;  "  you  speak 
straight.  It  is  just  as  you  say.  But  your  cache 
has  been  robbed.  Go  and  see  how  many  skins 
have  been  taken  from  it." 

Campbell  examined  the  cache,  and  estimated  his 
loss  to  be  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  beaver  skins. 

Arapooish  now  summoned  a  meeting  of  the  vil- 
lage.   He  bitterly  reproached  his  people  for  robbing 


^^■ 


'^T-.'^* 


;•>■*. 


« 


:-#1 


■^# 


^^ 


het,  and 
le  eagle, 
16  white 
larlatan- 
1  weight 

ive  most 
trapping 

of  Ara- 
:hieftain 
\,  fearful 
rt  in  the 
a  cache. 
5  with  a 

without 
arapbellj 
than  you 


y  preva- 
tance  of 
ict  place 

u  speak 
iir  cache 
ny  skins 

lated  his 

er  skins. 

the  vil- 

robbing 


•  it. 


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m 


^ 


vow    OF   ARAP00I8H. 


219 


a  stranger  who  had  confided  to  their  honor;  and 
commanded  that  whoever  had  taken  the  skins,  should 
bring  them  back  :  declaring  that,  as  Campbell  was 
his  guest  and  an  inmate  of  his  lodge,  he  would  not 
eat  or  drink  until,  every  skin  was  restored  to  him. 

The  meeting  broke  up,  and  every  one  dispersed. 
Arapooish  now  charged  Campbell  to  give  neither 
reward  nor  thanks  to  any  one  who  should  bring 
in  the  beaver  skins,  but  to  keep  count  as  they  were 
delivered. 

In  a  little  while,  the  skins  began  to  make  their 
appearance,  a  few  at  a  time ;  they  were  laid  down 
in  the  lodge,  and  those  who  brought  them  departed 
without  saying  a  word.  The  day  passed  away. 
Arapooish  sat  in  one  corner  of  his  lodge,  wrapped 
up  in  his  robe,  scarcely  moving  a  muscle  of  his 
countenance.  When  night  arrived,  he  demanded 
if  all  the  skins  had  been  brought  in.  Above  a  hun- 
dred had  been  given  up,  and  Campbell  expressed 
himself  contented.  Not  so  the  Crow  chieftain.  He 
fasted  all  that  night,  nor  tasted  a  drop  of  water.  In 
the  morning,  some  more  skins  were  brought  in,  and 
continued  to  come,  one  and  two  at  a  time,  through- 
out the  day :  until  but  a  few  were  wanting  to  make 
the  number  complete.  Campbell  was  now  anxious 
to  put  an  end  to  this  fasting  of  the  old  chief,  and 
again  declared  that  he  was  perfectly  satisfied.  Ara- 
pooish demanded  what  number  of  skins  were  yet 
wanting.  On  being  told,  he  whispered  to  some  of 
his  people,  who  disappeared.  After  a  time  the 
number  were  brought  in,  though  it  was  evident  they 


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M' 


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•■*'• 


-.,  5?- 


220 


tS,    HONOR  AMONG  CROWS. 


were  not  any  of  the  skins  that  had  been  stolen,  but 
Others  gleaned  in  the  village.  ^^^ 

**  Is  all  right  now  ?"  demanded  Arapooish. 

"  All  is  riglit,"  replied  Campbell. 

"  Good  !    Now  bring  me  meat  and  drink !"       ^ 

When  they  were  alone  together,  Arapooish  had  a 
conversation  with  his  guest. 

"  When  you  come  another  time  among  the 
Crows,"  said  he,  "  don't  hide  your  goods  :  trust  to 
them  and  they  will  not  wrong  you.  Put  your  goods 
in  the  lodge  of  a  chief,  and  they  are  sacred ;  hide 
them  in  a  cache,  and  any  one  who  finds  will  steal 
them.  My  people  have  now  given  up  your  goods 
for  my  sake ;  but  there  are  some  foolish  young 
men  in  the  village,  who  may  be  disposed  to  be  trou- 
blesome. Don't  linger  therefore,  but  pack  your 
horses  and  be  off." 

Campbell  took  his  advice,  and  made  his  way 
safely  out  of  the  Crow  country.  He  has  ever  since 
maintained,  that  the  Crows  are  not  so  black  as  they 
are  painted.  "  Trust  to  their  honor,"  says  he,  "  and 
you  are  safe  :  trust  to  their  honesty,  and  they  will 
steal  the  hair  off  of  your  head."  '"' 

Having  given  these  few  preliminary  particulars, 
we  will  resume  the  course  of  our  narrative. 


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ROUTE  TO  THE  CROW  COUNTRY. 


221 


i«9H'- 


4^' 


V  .  CHAPTER    XXIII. 

Departure  from  Qreen  river  valley — Popo  Agie — its  course — the 
rivers  into  which  it  runs — Scenery  of  the  bluffs — The  great  Tar 
spring — Volcanic  tracts  in  the  Crow  country — Burning  mountain 
of  Powder  river — Sulphur  springs — Hidden  fires — Colter's  Hell 
— Wind  river — Campbell's  party — Fitzpatrick  and  his  trappers 
— Captain  Stewart,  an  amateur  traveller— Captain  "Wyeth — anec- 
dotes of  his  expedition  to  the  far  west — Disaster  of  Campbell's 
party — A  union  of  bands — The  Bad  Pass — The  rapids — De- 
parture of  Fitzpatrick — Embarcation  of  peltries — Captain  Wyeth 
and  his  bull  boat — Adventures  of  Captain  Bopneville  in  the  Big- 
horn moi»atainB— Adventures  in  the  plain — Traces  of  Indians — 
Travelling  precautions — Dangers  of  making  a  smoke — The  ren- 
dezvous. '        ■      7  , 

On  the  25th  of  July,  Captain  Bonneville  struck  his 

tents,  and  set  out  on  his  route  for  the  Bighorn  :  at 

the  head  of  a  party  of  fifty-six  men,  including  those 

who  were  to  embark  with  Cerr6.     Crossing  the 

Green  river  valley,  he  proceeded  along  the  south 

point  of  the  Wind  river  range  of  mountains,  and 

soon  fell  upon  the  track  of  Mr.  Robert  Campbell's 

party,  which  had  preceded  him  by  a  day.     This  he 

pursued,  until  he  perceived  that  it  led  down  the 

banks  of  the  Sweet  Water  to  the  southeast.     As 

this  was  different  from  his  proposed  direction,  he 

left  it;   and  turning  to  the  northeast,  soon  came 

upon  the  waters  of  the  Popo  Agie.     This  stream 

takes  its  rise  in  the  Wind  river  mountains.    Its 

19* 


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THE    POPO    AOIB. 


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i;-^l 


name,  like  most  Indian  names,  is  characteristic* 
PopOf  in  the  Crow  language,  signifying  head ;  and 
AgiCy  river.  It  is  the  head  of  a  long  river,  extend- 
ing from  the  south  end  of  tlie  Wind  river  mountains 
in  a  northeast  direction,  until  it  falls  into  the  Yet^ 
lowstone.  Its  course  is  generally  through  plains, 
but  is  twice  crossed  by  chains  of  mountains  ;  the 
first  called  the  Littlehorn ;  the  second,  the  Bighorn. 
After  it  has  forced  its  way  through  the  first  chain, 
it  is  called  the  Horn  river ;  after  the  second  chain, 
it  is.  called  the  Bighorn  river.  Its  passage  through 
this  last  chain  is  rough  and  violent ;  making  re- 
peated falls,  and  rushing  down  long  and  furious 
rapids,  which  threaten  destruction  to  the  navigator ; 
though  a  hardy  trapper  is  said  to  have  shot  down 
them  in  a  canoe.  At  the  foot  of  these  rapids,  is  the 
head  of  navigation  ;  where  it  was  the  intention  of 
the  parties  to  construct  boats,  and  embark. 

Proceeding  down  along  the  Popo  Agie,  Captain 
Bonneville  came  again  in  full  view  of  the  "  Bluffs," 
as  they  are  called,  extending  from  the  base  of  the 
Wind  river  mountains  far  away  to  the  east,  and 
presenting  to  the  eye  a  confusion  of  hills  and  cliffs 
of  red  sandstone  :  some  peaked  and  angular  ;  some 
round  ;  some  broken  into  crags  and  precipices,  and 
piled  up  in  fantastic  masses  ;  but  all  naked  and 
sterile.  There  appeared  to  be  no  soil  favorable  to 
vegetation  ;  nothing  but  coarse  gravel :  yet,  over 
all  this  isolated,  barren  landscape,  were  diffused 
such  atmospherical  tints  and  hues,  as  to  blend  the 
whole  into  harmony  and  beauty. 

In  this  neighborhood,  the  captain  made  search 


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THE    GREAT    TAR   SPRING. 


223 


•H  for  "  ihc  great  Tar  spring,**  ono  of  iho  wonders  of 
the  iiiuuiitain»  ;  the  medicinul  properties  of  wliicil, 
ho  luul  licaid  extravagantly  lauded  by  the  trappers. 
After  n  toilsome  search,  he  found  it  at  the  foot  of  a 
fandblutr,  a  little  to  the  cast  of  the  Wind  river 
mountains ;  where  it  exuded  in  a  small  stream  of 
the  color  and  consistency  of  tar.  The  men  inune- 
diately  hastened  to  collect  a  (piantity  of  it,  to  use 
as  an  ointment  for  the  galled  backs  of  their  horses, 
and  as  a  balsam  for  their  own  pains  and  aches. 
From  the  description  given  of  it,  it  is  evidently  the 
bituminous  oil,  called  petroliun^,  or  naptha,  which 
forms  a  principal  ingredient  in  thr  potent  medicine 
called  British  Oil.  It  is  found  m  various  parts  of 
Europe  and  Asia,  in  several  of  the  West  India 
islands,  and  in  some  places  of  the  United  States. 
In  the  state  of  New  York,  it  is  called  Seneca  Oil, 
from  being  found  near  the  Seneca  lake. 

The  Crow  country  has  other  natural  curiosities, 
which  are  held  in  superstitious  awe  by  the  Indians, 
and  considered  great  marvels  by  the  trappers.  Such 
is  the  Burning  mountain,  on  Powder  river,  abound- 
ing with  anthracite  coal.  Here  the  earth  is  hot  and 
cracked ;  in  many  places  emitting  smoke  and  sul- 
phurous vapors,  as  if  covering  concealed  fires.  A 
volcanic  tract  of  similar  character  is  found  on  Stink- 
ing river,  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Bighorn, 
which  takes  its  unhappy  name  from  the  odor  de- 
rived from  sulphurous  springs  and  streams.  Thii 
last  mentioned  place  was  first  discovered  by  Colter, 
a  hunter  belonging  to  Lewis  and  Clarke's  exploring 
party,  who  came  upon  it  in  the  course  of  his  lonely 


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COLTERS   HCLL. 


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wanderings,  and  gave  such  an  account  of  its  gloomy  ^e  - 
terrors ;    its  hidden  fires,   smoking  pits,  noi^ous 
steams,  and  the  all-pervading  "  smell  of  brimstone," 
that  it  received,  and  has  ever  since  retained  among 
trappers,  the  name  of  "  Colter's  Hell !" 

Resuming  his  descent  along  the  left  bank  of  the 
Popo  Agie,  Captain  Bonneville  soon  reached  the 
plains ;  vyrhere  he  found  several  large  streams  enter- 
ing from  the  vjrest.  Among  these  was  Wind  river, 
which  gives  its  name  to  the  mountains  among  which 
it  takes  its  rise.  This  is  one  of  the  most  important 
streams  of  the  Crow  country.  The  river  being 
much  swollen,  Captain  Bonneville  halted  at  its 
mouth,  and  sent  out  scouts  to  look  for  a  fording 
place.  While  thus  encamped,  he  beheld,  in  the 
course  of  the  afternoon,  a  long  line  of  horsemen 
descending  the  slope  of  the  hills  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  Popo  Agie.  His  first  idea  was,  that 
they  were  Indians  :  he  soon  discovered,  however, 
that  they  were  white  men ;  and,  by  the  long  line 
of  packhorses,  ascertained  them  to  be  the  convoy 
of  Campbell,  which,  having  descended  the  Sweet 
Water,  was  now  on  its  way  to  the  Horn  river. 

The  two  parties  came  together  two  or  three  days 
afterwards,  on  the  4th  of  August,  after  having 
passed  through  the  gap  of  the  Littlehorn  mountain. 
In  company  with  Campbell's  convoy,  was  a  trapping 
party  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Company,  headed  by 
Fitzpatrick;  who,  after  Campbell's  embarcation  on 
the  Bighorn,  was  to  take  charge  of  all  the  horses, 
and  proceed  on  a  trapping  campaign.  There  were, 
moreover,  two  chance  companions  in  the  rival  camp. 


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AN   AMATEUR  TRAVELLER. 


225 


4k  One  was  Captain  Stewart,  of  the  British  army,  a 
gentleman  of  noble  connexions,  who  was  amusing 
himself  by  a  wandering  tour  in  the  far  west;  in 
the  course  of  which,  he  had  lived  in  hunter's  style  : 
Accompanying  various  bands  of  traders,  trappers, 
and  Indians;  and  manifesting  that  relish  for  the 
wilderness  that  belongs  to  men  of  game  spirit. 

The  other  casual  inmate  of  Mr.  Campbell's 
camp  was  Captain  Wyeth ;  the  selfsame  leader 
of  the  band  of  New-England  salmon  fishers,  with 
whom  we  parted  company  in  the  valley  of  Pierre's 
Hole,  after  the  battle  with  the  Blackfeet.  A  few 
days  after  that  affair,  he  again  set  out  from  the  ren- 
dezvous in  company  with  Milton  Sublette  and  his 
brigade  of  trappers.  On  his  march,  he  visited  the 
battle  ground,  and  penetrated  to  the  deserted  fort 
of  the  Blackfeet  in  the  midst  of  the  wood.  It  was 
a  dismal  scene.  The  fort,  was  strewed  with  tlie 
mouldering  bodies  of  the  slain ;  while  vultures  soared 
aloft.  Or  sat  brooding  on  the  trees  around ;  and  In- 
dian dogs  howled  about  the  place,  as  if  bewailing 
the  death  of  their  masters.  Captain  Wyeth  travel- 
led for  a  considerable  distance  to  the  southwest,  in 
company  with  Milton  Sublette,  when  they  sepa- 
rated ;  and  the  former,  with  eleven  men,  the  rem- 
nant of  his  band,  pushed  on  for  Snake  river ;  kept 
down  the  course  of  that  eventful  stream;  traversed 
the  Blue  mountains,  trapping  beaver  occasionally 
by  the  way,  ?ind  finally,  after  hardships  of  all  kinds, 
arrived  on  the  29th  of  October,  at  Vancouver,  on 
the  Columbia,  the  main  factory  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company.  ,^ 


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CAPTAIN   WYETH   AND   HIS   BAND. 


He  experienced  hospitable  treatment  at  the  hands 
of  t)ie  agents  of  that  company ;  but  his  men,  heartily 
tired  of  wandering  in  the  wilderness,  or  tempted  by 
other  prospects,  refused,  for  the  most  part,  to  con- 
tinue any  longer  in  his  service.  Some  set  off  for  the? 
Sandwich  islands ;  some  entered  into  other  employ. 
The  captain  found,  too,  that  a  great  part  of  the  goods 
he  had  brought  with  him  were  unfitted  for  the  Indian 
trade  :  in  a  word,  his  expedition,  undertaken  en- 
tirely on  his  own  resources,  proved  a  failure.  He 
lost  every  thing  invested  in  it,  but  his  hopes.  These 
were  as  strong  as  ever.  He  took  note  of  every 
thing,  therefore,  that  could  be  of  service  to  him  in 
the  further  prosecution  of  his  project ;  collected  all 
the  information  within  his  reach,  and  then  set  off, 
accompanied  by  merely  two  men,  on  his  return 
journey  across  the  continent.  He  had  got  thus  far 
"  by  hook  and  by  crook,"  a  mode  in  which  a  New- 
England  man  can  make  his  way  all  over  the  world, 
and  through  all  kinds  of  difficulties,  and  was  now 
bound  for  Boston  ;  in  full  confidence  of  being  able 
to  form  a  company  for  the  salmon  fishery  and  fur 
trade  of  the  Columbia. 

The  party  of  Mr.  Campbell  had  met  with  a  dis- 
aster in  the  course  of  their  route  from  the  Sweet 
Water.  Three  or  four  of  the  men  who  were  recon- 
noitring the  country  in  the  advance  of  the  main 
body,  were  visited  one  night  in  their  camp,  by  fif- 
teen or  twenty  Shoshonies.  Considering  this  tribe 
as  perfectly  friendly,  they  received  them  in  the  most 
cordial  and  confiding  manner.  In  the  course  of 
the  night,  the  man  on  guard  near  the  horses  fell 


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227 

sound  asleep.  Upon  which  a  Shoshonie  shot  him 
in  the  head,  and  nearly  killed  him.  The  savages 
then  made  off  with  the  horses,  leaving  the  rest  of 
the  party  to  find  their  way  to  the  main  body  on  foot. 
,  The  rival  companies  of  Captain  Bonneville  and 
Mr.  Campbell,  thus  fortuitously  brought  together, 
now  prosecuted  their  journey  in  great  good  fellow- 
ship ;  forming  a  joint  camp  of  about  a  hundred  men. 
The  captain,  however,  began  to  entertain  doubts 
that  Fitzpatrick  and  his  trappers,  who  kept  profound 
silence  as  to  their  future  movements,  intended  to 
hunt  the  same  grounds  which  he  had  selected  for 
his  autumnal  campaign ;  which  lay  to  the  west  of 
the  i'lor  river,  on  its  tributary  streams.  In  the 
coursf;  L  .  march,  therefore,  he  secretly  detached 
a  smaii  ^larty  of  trappers,  to  make  their  way  to 
those  hunting  grounds,  while  he  continued  on  with 
the  main  body ;  appointing  a  rendezvous,  at  the  next 
full  moon,  about  the  28th  of  August,  at  a  place 
called  the  Medicine  lodge.  <.  ,^,i  ^  -^ 

On  reaching  the  second  chain,  called  the  Bighorn 
mountains,  where  the  river  forced  its  impetuous 
way  through  a  precipitous  defile,  with  cascades  and 
rapids,  the  travellers  were  obliged  to  leave  its  banks, 
and  traverse  the  mountains  by  a  rugged  and  fright- 
ful route,  emphatically  called  the  "  Bad  Pass." 
Descending  the  opposite  side,  they  again  made  for 
the  river  banks ;  and  about  the  middle  of  August, 
reached  the  point  below  the  rapids,  where  the  river 
becomes  navigable  for  boats.  Here  Captain  Bonne- 
ville detached  a  second  party  of  trappers,  consisting 
of  ten  men,  to  seek  and  join  those  whom  he  had 


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228 


BULL   BOATS — EMBARCATIONS. 


V'  iLtim^- 


detached  while  on  the  route ;  appointing  for  them 
the ,  same  rendezvous,  (at  the  Medicine  lo'dge.)  on 
the  28th  of  August. 

All  hands  now  set  to  work  to  construct  "bull 
boats,"  as  they  are  technically  called ;  a  light,  fra- 
gile kind  of  bark,  characteristic  of  the  expedients 
and  inventions  of  the  wilderness  ;  being  formed  of 
buffalo  skins,  stretched  on  frames.  They  are  some- 
times, also,  called  skin  boats.  Captain  Wyeth  was 
the  first  ready  ;  and  with  his  usual  promptness  and 
hardihood,  launched  his  frail  bark,  singly,  on  this 
wild  and  hazardous  voyage,  down  an  almost  inter- 
minable succession  of  rivers,  winding  through  coun- 
tries teeming  with  savage  hordes.  Milton  Sublette, 
his  former  fellow  traveller,  and  his  companion  in 
the  battle  scenes  of  Pierre's  Hole,  took  passage  in 
his  boat.  His  crew  consisted  of  two  white  men, 
and  two  Indians.  We  shall  hear  further  of  the 
adventurous  captain,  and  his  wild  voyage,  in  the 
course  of  our  wanderings  about  the  far  west. 

The  remaining  parties  soon  completed  their  several 
armaments.  That  of  Captain  Bonneville  was  com- 
posed of  three  bull  boats,  in  which  he  embarked  all 
his  peltries,  giving  them  in  charge  of  Mr.  Cerr6,  with 
a  party  of  thirty-six  men.  Mr.  Campbell  took  com- 
mand of  his  own  boats,  and  the  little  squadrons  were 
soon  gliding  down  the  bright  current  of  the  Bighorn. 

The  secret  precautions  which  Captain  Bonneville 
had  taken,  to  throw  his  men  first  into  the  trapping 
ground  west  of  the  Bighorn,  were,  probably,  superflu- 
ous. It  did  not  appear  that  Fitzpatrick  had  intended 
to  hunt  in  that  direction.     The  moment  Mr.  Camp- 


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A   CLOUD  OF    SMOKE. 


229 


and  his  men  embarked  with  the  peltries,  Fitz- 
patrick  took  charge  of  all  the  horses,  amounting 
to  above  a  hundred,  and  struck  off  to  the  east,  to 
trap  upon  Littlehorn,  Powder,  and  Tongue  rivers. 
He  was  accompanied  by  Captain  Stewart,  who  was 
desirous  of  having  a  range  about  the -Crow  country. 
Of  the  adventures  they  met  with  in  that  region  of 
vagabonds  and  horse  stealers,  we  shall  have  some- 
thing to  relate  hereafter. 

Captain  Bonneville  being  now  left  to  prosecute 
his  trapping  campaign  without  rivalry,  set  out,  on 
the  17th  of  August,  for  the  rendezvous  at  Medicine 
lodge.  He  had  but  four  men  remaining  with  him, 
and  forty-six  horses  to  take  care  of :  with  these  he 
had  to  make  his  way  over  mountain  and  plain, 
through  a  marauding,  horse  stealing  region,  full  of 
peril  for  a  numerous  cavalcade  so  slightly  manned. 
He  addressed  himself  to  his  difficult  journey,  how- 
ever, with  his  usual  alacrity  of  spirit. 

In  the  afternoon  of  his  first  day's  journey,  on 
drawing  near  to  the  Bighorn  mountain,  on  the 
summit  of  which  he  intended  to  encamp  for  the 
night,  he  observed,  to  his  disquiet,  a  cloud  of  smoke 
rising  from  its  base.  He  came  to  a  halt,  and 
watched  it  anxiously.  It  was  very  irregular ;  some- 
times it  would  almost  die  away;  and  then  would 
mount  up  in  heavy  volumes.  There  was,  appa- 
rently, a  large  party  encamped  there ;  probably, 
some  ruffian  horde  of  Blackfeet.  At  any  rate,  it 
would  not  do  for  so  small  a  number  of  men,  with 
so  numerous  a  cavalcade,  to  venture  within  sight 

of  any  wandering  tribe.     Captain  Bonneville  and 
VOL.  I.  20 


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SIGNS    OF    INDIANS. 


his  companions,  therefore,  avoided  this  dangerous 
neighborhood;  and,  proceeding  with  extreme  cau- 
tion, reached  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  appa- 
rently without  being  discovered.  Here  they  found 
a  deserted  Blackfoot  fort,  in  which  they  ensconced 
themselves ;  disposed  of  every  thing  as  securely  as 
possible,  and  passed  the  night  without  molestation 
Early  the  next  morning,  they  descended  the  south 
side  of  the  mountain  into  the  great  plain  extending 
between  it  and  the  Littlehorn  range.  Here  they 
soon  came  upon  numerous  footprints,  and  the  car- 
casses of  buffaloes ;  by  which  they  knew  there 
must  be  Indians  not  far  off.  Captain  Bonneville 
now  began  to  feel  solicitude  about  the  two  small 
parties  of  trappers  which  he  had  detached ;  lest  the 
Indians  should  have  come  upon  them  before  they 
had  united  their  forces.  But  he  fell  still  more 
solicitude  about  his  own  party :  for  it  was  hardly 
to  be  expected  he  could  traverse  these  naked  plains 
undiscovered,  when  Indians  were  abroad  ;  and 
should  he  be  discovered,  his  chance  would  be  a 
desperate  one.  Every  thing  now  depended  upon  the 
greatest  circumspection.  It  was  dangerous  to  dis- 
charge a  gun,  or  light  a  fire,  or  make  the  least  noise, 
where  such  quick-eared  and  quick-sighted  enemies 
were  at  hand.  In  the  course  of  the  day,  they  saw 
indubitable  signs  that  the  buffalo  had  been  roaming 
there  in  great  numbers,  and  had  recently  been 
frightened  away.  That  night  they  encamped  with 
the  greatest  care  ;  and  threw  up  a  strong  breast- 
work for  their  protection.  I, 
For  the  two  succeeding  days,  they  pressed  for- 


«SS:i, 


«*'-       V 

K'  % 


.'». 

'•!> 


•r. 


-*•& 


.% 


'^■*.,'M 


i\ 


r' 


..•*v 


i' 


.* 


M    f 


,« 


-V 


■^     X 


i 


-f 


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^"^  t 

:# 


^ 


*•    ■> 


*•■ 


-0 


PRECAUTIONS. 


!;^ 


31 


ward  rapidly,  but  cautiously,  across  the  great  plain ; 
fording  the  tributary  streams  of  the  Horn  river : 
encannping  one  night  among  thickets  ;  the  next,  on 
an  island ;  meeting,  repeatedly,  with  traces  of  In- 
dians ;  and  now  and  then,  in  passing  through  a 
defile,  experiencing  alarms  that  induced  them  to 
cock  their  rifles.  , 

On  the  last  day  of  their  march,  hunger  got  the 
better  of  their  caution,  and  they  shot  a  fine  buffalo 
bull ;  at  the  risk  of  being  betrayed  by  the  report. 
They  did  not  halt  to  make  a  meal,  but  carried  the 
meat  on  with  them  to  the  place  of  rendezvous,  the 
Medicine  lodge,  where  they  arrived  safely,  in  the 
evening,  and  celebrated  their  arrival  by  a  hearty 
supper.    *  " 

The  next  morning,  they  erected  a  strong  pen  for 
the  horses,  and  a  fortress  of  logs  for  themselves; 
and  continued  to  observe  the  greatest  caution. 
Their  cooking  was  all  done  at  mid-day,  when  the 
fire  makes  no  glare,  and  a  moderate  smoke  cannot 
be  perceived  at  any  great  distance.  In  the  morning 
and  the  evening,  when  the  wind  is  hilled,  the  smoke 
rises  perpendicularly  in  a  blue  column,  or  floats  in 
light  clouds  above  the  tree  tops,  and  can  be  dis- 
covered from  afar. 

In  this  way,  the  little  party  remained  for  several 
days,  cautiously  encamped,  until,  on  the  29th  of 
August,  the  two  dotachmtnts  they  had  been  expect- 
ing, arrived  together  at  the  rendezvous.  They,  as 
usual,  had  their  several  tales  of  adventures  to  relate 
to  the  captain,  which  we  will  furnish  to  the  reader 
in  the  nex'.  chapter. 


,  ^. 


r^ 


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i] 


Mr 


,'*■ 


i^.k 


.*"]".*((• :  *'• 


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II  h. 


^ 


4f> 

232  ' 

THE   BALA  AMITE   MVLE. 

1*. 

-,f^' 


*i*'^.  . 


.     CHAPTER   XXIV.  ^ '^ 

Adventures  of  the  party  of  ten— The  Balaamite  mule — A  dead 
point — The  mysterious  elks — A  night  attack— A  retreat — ^Trav- 
elling under  an  alarm — A  joyful  meeting — Adventures  of  the 

':  other  party — A  decoy  elk — retreat  to  an  island — A  savage  dance 
of  triumph — Arrival  at  Wind  river. 

The  adventures  of  the  detachment  of  ten  are  the 
first  in  order.  These  trappers,  when  they  separated 
from  Captain  Bonneville  at  the  place  where  the 
furs  were  embarked,  proceeded  to  the  foot  of  the 
Bighorn  mountain,  and  having  encamped,  one  of 
them  mounted  his  mule  and  went  out  to  set  his 
trap  in  a  neighboring  stream.  He  hrd  not  pro- 
ceeded far  when  his  steed  came  to  a  full  stop. 
The  trapper  kicked  and  cudgelled,  but  to  every 
blow  and  kick,  the  mule  snorted  and  kicked  up, 
but  still  refused  to  budge  an  inch.  The  rider  now 
cast  his  eyes  warily  around  in  search  of  some  cause 
for  this  demur,  when,  to  his  dismay,  he  discovered 
an  Indian  fort  within  gunshot  distance,  lowering 
through  the  twilight.  In  a  twinkling,  he  wheeled 
about ;  his  mule  now  seemed  as  eager  to  get  on  as 
himself,  and  in  a  few  moments  brought  him,  clatter- 
ing with  his  traps,  among  his  comrades.  He  was 
jeered  at  for  his  alacrity  in  retreating ;  his  report 
was  treated  as  a  false  alarm ;  his  brother  trappers 


*:&• 


-*!.;.* 


#■ 


#. 


* 


:4tj"t-     ..^*i.r. 


M* 


^ 


Vj^  ., 


/* 


■'1 


.«>     ! 


■•■■^: 


;•■ 


# 


•i^' 
"^i^ 


J%'- 


*./.' 


•8  ^Jfi 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   ELKS. 


contented  th  mselves  with  reconnoitring  the  fort  at 
a  distance,  and  pronounced  that  it  was  deserted. 

As  night  set  in,  the  usual  precaution,  enjoined 
by  Captain  Bonneville  on  his  men,  was  observed. 
The  horses  were  brought  in  and  tied,  and  a  guard 
stationed  over  them.  This  done,  the  men  wrapped 
themselves  in  their  blankets,  stretched  themselves 
before  the  fire,  and  being  fatigued  with  a  long  day's 
march,  and  gorged  with  a  hearty  supper,  were  soon 
in  a  profound  sleep.  '.f  ^^' . 

The  camp  fires  gradually  died  away;  all  was 
dark  and  silent;  the  sentinel  stationed  to  watch 
the  horses  had  marched  as  far,  and  supped  as 
heartily  as  any  of  his  companions,  and  while  they 
snored,  he  began  to  nod  at  his  post.  After  a  time, 
a  low  trampling  noise  reached  his  ear.  He  half 
opened  his  closing  eyes,  and  beheld  two  or  three 
elks  moving  about  among  the  lodges,  picking,  and 
smelling,  and  grazing  here  and  there.  The  sight 
of  elk  within  the  purlieus  of  the  camp  caused  some 
little  surprise ;  but,  having  had  his  supper,  he  cared 
not  for  elk  meat,  and,  suffering  them  to  graze  about 
unmolested,  soon  relapsed  into  a  doze.  :,^j. 

Suddenly,  before  daybreak,  a  discharge  of  fire- 
arms, and  a  struggle  and  tramp  of  horses,  made 
every  one  start  to  his  feet.  The  first  move  was  to 
secure  the  horses.  Some  were  gone  ;  others  were 
struggling,  and  kicking,  and  trembling,  for  there 
was  a  horrible  uproar  of  whoops,  and  yells,  and 
fire-arms.  Several  trappers  stole  quietly  from  the 
camp,  and  succeeded  in  driving  in  the  horses  which 

had  broken  away ;  the  rest  were  tethered  still  more 

20* 


<i^.  it 


t' 


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)■■• 


f  ■'■ . 


%* 
<^j^ 


Jk 


4 


v^         i^jjp, 


I 


»•  «•*  r 


234 


SKIRMISHING. 


-% 


:'»^ 


strongly.  A  breastwork  was  thrown  up  of  saddles, 
baggage,  and  camp  furniture,  and  all  hands  waited 
anxiously  for  daylight.  The  Indians,  in  the  mean- 
time, collected  on  a  neighboring  height,  kept  up 
the  most  horrible  clamor,  in  hopes  of  striking  a 
panic  into  the  camp,  or  frightening  off  the  horses. 
When  the  day  dawned,  the  trappers  attacked  them 
briskly  and  drove  them  to  some  distance.  A  desul- 
tory firing  was  kept  up-  for  an  hour,  when  the  In- 
dians, seeing  nothing  was  to  be  gained,  gave  up 
the  contest  and  retired.  They  proved  to  be  a  war 
party  of  Blackfeet,  who,  while  in  search  of  the 
Crow  tribe,  had  fallen  upon  the  trail  of  Captain 
Bonneville  on  the  Popo  Agie,  and  dogged  him  to 
the  Bighorn ;  but  had  been  completely  baffled  by 
his  vigilance.  They  had  then  waylaid  the  present 
detachment,  and  were  actually  housed  in  perfect 
silence  within  their  fort,  when  the  mule  of  the  trap- 
per made  such  a  dead  point.  ltw 

The  savages  went  off  uttering  the  wildest  denun- 
ciations of  hostility,  mingled  with  opprobrious  terms 
in  broken  English,  and  gesticulations  of  the  most 
insulting  kind. 

In  this  mel6e,  one  white  man  was  wounded,  and 
two  horses  were  killed.  On  preparing  the  morn- 
ing's meal,  however,  a  number  of  cups,  knives,  and 
other  articles  were  missing,  which  had  doubtless 
been  carried  off  by  the  fictitious  elk,  during  the 
slumber  of  the  very  sagacious  sentinel. 

As  the  Indians  had  gone  off  in  the  direction 
which  the  trappers  had  intended  to  travel,  the  latter 
changed  their  route,  and  pushed  forward  rapidly 


.# 


f  J  ff    t 


m 


'¥f-- 


*" 


^1 

4*  r 


.'^r 


# 


TRAVELLING    UNDER    AN   ALARM. 


235 


:4&' 


* 


through  the  "Bad  Pass,"  nor  halted  until  night; 
when,  supposing  themselves  out  of  the  reach  of  the 
enemy,  they  contented  themselves  with  tying  up 
their  horses  and  posting  a  guard.  They  had  scarce 
laid  down  to  sleep,  when  a  dog  strayed  into  the 
camp  with  a  small  pack  of  moccasins  tied  upon  his 
back ;  for  dogs  are  made  to  carry  burthens  among 
the  Indians.  The  sentinel,  more  knowing  than  he 
of  the  preceding  night,  awoke  his  companions  and 
reported  the  circumstance.  It  was  evident  that 
Indians  were  at  hand.  All  were  instantly  at  work ; 
a  strong  pen  was  soon  constructed  for  the  horses, 
after  completing  which,  they  res  jmed  their  slumbers 
with  the  composure  of  men  long  inured  to  dangers. 
In  the  next  night,  the  prowling  of  dogs  about  the 
camp,  and  various  suspicious  noises,  showed  that 
Indians  were  still  hovering  about  them.  Hurrying 
on  by  long  marches,  they  at  length  fell  upon  a  trail, 
which,  with  the  experienced  eye  of  veteran  wood- 
men, they  soon  discovered  to  be  that  of  the  party 
of  trappers  detached  by  Captain  Bonneville  when 
on  his  march,  and  which  they  were  sent  to  join. 
They  likewise  ascertained  from  various  signs,  that 
this  party  had  suffered  some  maltreatment  from  the 
Indians.  They  now  pursued  the  trail  with  the 
most  intense  anxiety ;  it  carried  them  to  the  banks 
of  the  stream  called  the  Gray  Bull,  and  down  along 
its  course,  until  they  came  to  where  it  empties  into 
the  Horn  river.  Here,  to  their  great  joy,  they  dis- 
covered the  comrades  of  whom  they  were  in  search, 
all  strongly  fortified,  and  in  a  state  of  great  watch- 
fulness and  anxiety. 


"V* 


# 


.%i^ 


m'     r 


W'i 


< 


—^ 


•n^Ww 


236 


A    DECOY   ELK. 


We  now  take  up  the  adventures  of  this  first  de 
tachment  of  trappers.  These  men,  after  parting 
with  the  main  body  under  Captain  Bonneville,  had 
proceeded  slowly  for  several  days  up  the  course  of 
the  river,  trapping  beaver  as  they  went.  One 
morning,  as  they  were  about  to  visit  their  traps, 
one  of  the  camp-keepers  pointed  to  a  fine  elk,  graz- 
ing at  a  distance,  and  requested  them  to  shoot  it. 
Three  of  the  trappers  started  oflF  for  the  purpose. 
In  passing  a  thicket,  they  were  fired  upon  by  some 
savages  in  ambush,  and  at  the  same  time,  the  pre- 
tended elk,  throwing  off  his  hide  and  his  horns, 
started  forth  an  Indian  warrior. 

One  of  the  three  trappers  had  been  brought  down 
by  the  volley ;  the  others  fled  to  the  camp,  and  all 
hands,  seizing  up  whatever  they  could  carry  off, 
retreated  to  a  small  island  in  the  river,  and  took 
refuge  among  the  willows.  Here  they  were  soon 
joined  by  their  comrade  who  had  fallen,  but  who 
had  merely  been  wounded  in  the  neck.      "^^•'         *-*' 

In  the  meantime,  the  Indians  took  possession  of 
the  deserted  camp,  with  all  the  traps,  accoutre- 
ments, and  horses.  While  they  were  busy  among 
the  spoils,  a  solitary  trapper,  who  had  been  absent 
at  his  work,  came  sauntering  to  the  camp  with  his 
traps  on  his  back.  He  had  approached  near  by, 
when  an  Indian  came  forward  and  motioned  him  to 
keep  away;  at  the  same  moment,  he  was  per- 
ceived by  his  comrades  on  the  island,  and  warned 
of  his  danger  with  loud  cries.  The  poor  fellow 
stood  for  a  moment,  bewildered  and  aghast,  then 
dropping  his  traps,  wheeled  and  made  off  at  full 


*. 


•# 


^^     ^ 


.*■. 


■» 


ia'   .- 


■^ 


I  I  ! 


fi 


irst  de 
parting 
le,  had 
urse  of 
One 

traps, 

graz- 
loot  it. 
irposc. 

some 
e  pre- 
horns, 

tdown 
md  all 
ry  off, 
1  took 
J  soon 
t  who 

ion  of 

outre- 

imong 

ibsent 

th  his 

^r  by,     ^, 

lim  to      V 

per- 
arned    / 
ellow    f 

then 
t  full 


J,, 


fr     • 


M 


> 


% 


**f 


•  1*1   -^ 


AN    INSULTING    WAR    DANCE. 


237 


speed,  quickened  by  a  sportive  volley  which  the 
Indians  rattled  after  him.  , 

In  high  good-humor  with  their  easy  triumph,  the 
savages  now  formed  a  circle  round  the  fire  and 
performed  a  war  dance,  with  the  unlucky  trappers 
for  rueful  spectators.  This  done,  emboldened  by 
what  they  considered  cowardice  on  the  part  of  the 
white  men,  they  neglected  their  usual  mode  >f  bush 
fighting,  and  advanced  openly  within  twenty  pac^s 
of  the  willows.  A  sharp  volley  from  the  Irappca 
brought  them  to  a  sudden  halt,  and  laid  three  of 
them  breathless.  The  chief,  who  had  stationed 
himself  on  an  eminence  to  direct  all  the  movements 
of  his  people,  seeing  three  of  his  warriors  laid  low, 
ordered  the  rest  to  retire.  They  immediately  di('' 
so,  and  the  whole  band  soon  disappeared  behinii  a 
point  of  woods,  carrying  off  with  them  the  horses, 
traps,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  baggage. 

It  was  just  after  this  misfortune,  that  the  party 
of  ten  men  discovered  this  forlorn  band  of  trappers 
in  a  fortress,  which  they  had  thrown  up  after  their 
disaster.  They  were  so  perfectly  dismayed,  that 
they  could  not  be  induced  even  to  go  in  quest  of 
their  traps,  which  they  had  set  in  a  ^'i^hboring 
stream.  The  two  parties  now  joined  U  tir  forces, 
and  made  their  way,  without  further  misfortune,  to 
the  rendezvous. 

Captain  Bonneville  perceii-er'  Irom  the  reports 
of  these  parties,  as  well  as  from  what  he  had  ob- 
served himself  in  his  recent  march,  that  he  was 
in  a  neighborhood  teeming  with  danger.  Two 
wandering   Snake   Indians,  also,  who  visited   the 


•♦if' 


# 


■t^. 


'4- 


/■^%^ 


"W 


« 


'■i». 


M 


»„ 

.« 


f 


■^' 


238 


ARRIVAL   AT   WIND   RIVER. 


^■c 


camp,  assured  him  that  there  were  two  large  bands 
of  Crows  marching  rapidly  upon  him.  He  broke 
up  his  encampment,  therefore,  on  the  1st  of  Sep- 
tember, made  his  way  to  the  south,  across  the 
Littlehorn  moimtain,  until  he  reached  Wind  river, 
and  then  turning  westward,  moved  slowly  up  the 
banks  of  that  stream,  giving  time  for  his  men  to 
trap  as  he  proceeded.  As  it  was  not  in  the  plan  of 
the  present  hunting  campaign  to  go  near  the  caches 
on  Green  river,  and  as  the  trappers  were  in  want 
of  traps  to  replace  those  they  had  lost,  Captain 
Bonneville  undertook  to  visit  the  caches,  and  pro- 
cure a  supply.  To  accompany  him  in  this  hazard- 
ous expedition,  which  would  take  him  through  the 
defiles  of  the  Wind  river  mountains,  and  up  the 
Green  river  valley,  he  took  but  three  men ;  the 
main  party  were  to  continue  on  trapping  up  towards 
the  head  of  Wind  river,  near  which  he  was  to 
rejoin  them,  just  about  the  place  where  that  stream 
issues  from  the  mountains.  We  shall  accompany 
the  captain  on  his  adventurous  errand. 


-at- 


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\       '•'   ft:, 


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4 


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*(>A 


St^-Mfc     . 


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m^ 


1i^' 


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[e  bands 
broke 
of  Sep- 
oss   the 
id  river, 
up  the 
men  to 
plan  of 
caches 
m  want 
Captain 
nd  pro- 
hazard- 
igh  the 
up  the 
n;   the 
owards 
was  to 
stream 
»mpany 


» A- 


f 


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-;-^-- 


% 


K, 


THE    STARING   WHITE   BEARS. 


f^]f.-'% 


\: 


**-•**, 


239       .^ 


M 


•  'i%f'f 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Captain  Bonneville  sets  out  for  Green  river  valley — Journey  up  the 
Popo  Agie — BuflTaloes — The  staring  white  bears — The  smoke — 
The  warm  springs — Attempt  to  traverse  the  Wind  river  moun- 
tains— The  Great  Slope — Mountain  dells  and  chasms — Crystal 
lakes — Ascent  of  a  snowy  peak — SnbUme  prospect — A  7%norama 
— "Les  Dignes  do  pitie,"  or  wild  men  of  the  mountains.       ,    .,, 

Having  forded  Wind  river  a  little  above  its  mouth, 
Captain  Bonneville  and  his  three  companions  pro- 
ceeded across  a  gravelly  plain,  until  they  fell  upon 
the  Popo  Agie,  up  the  left  bank  of  which  they  held 
their  course,  nearly  in  a  southerly  direction.  Here 
they  came  upon  numerous  droves  of  buffalo,  and 
halted  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  a  supply  of  beef 
As  the  hunters  were  stealing  cautiously  to  get  within 
shot  of  the  game,  two  small  white  bears  suddenly 
presented  themselves  in  their  path,  and,  rising  upon 
their  hind  legs,  contemplated  them  for  some  time, 
with  a  whimsically  solemn  gaze.  The  hunters  re- 
mained motionless ;  whereupon  the  bears,  having  ap- 
parently satisfied  their  curiosity,  lowered  themselves 
upon  all  fours,  and  began  to  withdraw.  The  hunters 
now  advanced,  upon  which  the  bears  turned,  rose 
again  upon  their  haunches,  and  repeated  their  serio- 
comic examination.  This  was  repeated  several  times, 
until  the  hunters,  piqued  at  their  unmannerly  staring, 


t^ 


■■> 


A' 


'?.-i 


# 


'%^ 


v^^ 


0-^' 


i 


i. 


^ 


».l 


240 


WARM    SPRINGS. 


rebuked  it  with  a  discharge  of  their  rifles.  The  bears 
made  an  awkward  bound  or  two,  as  if  wounded,  and 
then  walked  off"  with  great  gravity,  seeming  to  com- 
mune together,  and  every  now  and  then  turning  to 
take  another  look  at  the  hunters.  It  was  well  for 
the  latter  that  the  bears  were  but  half  grown,  and 
had  not  yet  acquired  the  ferocity  of  their  kind.  - 

The  buffalo  were  somewhat  startled  at  the  report 
of  the  fire-arms ;  but  the  hunters  succeeded  in  killing 
a  couple  of  fine  cows,  and,  having  secured  the  best 
of  the  meat,  continued  forward  until  some  time  after 
dark,  when,  encamping  in  a  large  thicket  of  willows, 
they  made  a  great  fire,  roasted  buffalo  beef  enough 
for  half  a  score,  disposed  of  the  whole  of  it  with 
keen  relish  and  high  glee,  and  then  "turned  in"  for 
the  night  and  slept  soundly,  like  weary  and  well 
fed  hunters. 

At  daylight  they  were  in  the  saddle  again,  and 
skirted  along  the  river,  passing  through  fresh  grassy 
meadows,  and  a  succession  of  beautiful  groves  of 
willows  and  cotton-wood.  Towards  evening,  Cap- 
tain Bonneville  observed  a  smoke  at  a  distance  rising 
from  among  hills,  directly  in  the  route  he  was  pur- 
suing. Apprehensive  of  some  hostile  band,  he  con- 
cealed the  horses  in  a  thicket,  and,  accompanied  by 
one  of  his  men,  crawled  cautiously  up  a  height,  from 
which  he  could  overlook  the  scene  of  danger.  Here, 
with  a  spyglass,  he  reconnoitred  the  surrounding 
country,  but  not  a  lodge  or  fire,  not  a  man,  horse,  or 
dog,  was  to  be  discovered :  in  short,  the  smoke 
which  had  caused  such  alarm  proved  to  be  the  va- 
por from  several  warm,  or  rather  hot  springs  of 


i 


¥ 


,^i, 


■^' 


m 


■»] 


r 


^he  bears 
ided,  and 
;  to  com- 
iming  to 
well  for 
Dwn,  and 
ind. 

le  report 
in  killing 
the  best 
ime  after 
willows, 
enough 
f  it  with 
d  in"  for 
md  well 

rain,  and 
h  grassy 
•oves  of 
ig,  Cap- 
ce  rising 
^as  pur- 
he  con- 
mied  by 
fht,  from 
Here, 
ounding 
lorse,  or 
smoke 
the  va- 
dngs  of 


I 


>i? 


■-0^ 


\\ 


ASCENT   OP   THE    M0U*:TAINS. 


241 


considerable  magnitude,  pouring  forth  streams  in 
every  direction  over  a  bottom  of  white  clay.  One 
of  the  springs  was  about  twenty-five  yards  in  dia- 
meter, and  so  deep,  that  the  water  was  of  a  bright 
green  color. 

They  were  now  advancing  diagonally  upon  the 
chain  of  Wind  river  mountains,  which  lay  between 
them  and  Green  river  valley.  To  coast  round 
their  southern  points  would  be  a  wide  circuit; 
whereas,  could  they  force  a  way  through  them,  they 
might  proceed  in  a  straight  line.  The  mountains 
were  lofty,  with  snowy  peaks  and  cragged  sides  ;  it 
was  hoped,  however,  that  some  practicable  defile 
might  be  found.  They  attempted,  accordingly,  to 
penetrate  the  mountains  by  following  up  one  of  the 
branches  of  the  Popo  Agie,  but  soon  found  them- 
selves in  the  midst  of  stupendous  crags  and  preci- 
pices, that  barred  all  progress.  Retracing  their  steps, 
and  falling  back  upon  the  river,  they  consulted  where 
to  make  another  attempt.  They  were  too  close  be- 
neath the  mountains  to  scan  them  generally,  but  they 
now  recollected  having  noticed,  from  the  plain,  a 
beautiful  slope,  rising,  at  an  angle  of  about  thirty 
degrees,  and  apparently  without  any  break,  until  it 
reached  the  snowy  region.  Seeking  this  gentle  ac- 
clivity, they  began  to  ascend  it  with  alacrity,  trusting 
to  find  at  the  top  one  of  those  elevated  plains  which 
prevail  among  the  Rocky  mountains.  The  slope 
was  covered  with  coarse  gravel,  interspersed  with 
plates  of  freestone.  They  attained  the  summit 
with  some  toil,  but  found,  instead  of  a  level,  or  rather 
undulating  plain,  that  they  were  on  the  brink  of  a 

VOL.  I.  81    . 


•'>  '  ■, 


t '' 


"^^4 


m 


-V 


'    TJ 

^ 

WpiPi*ii^.5*    ^ 

"^           "■ 

\.f . 

-~.::^ 

™-r  -.i.-:^;,- 

A 

•■  •! 

It 

># 

t 

tv 

,■■-« 

* 

* 

•IC 


.  i 


^'1 


^Vt 


*^' 


242 


RAVINES    AND    PRECIPICES, 


.«». 


deep  and  precipitous  ravine,  from  the  bottom  of 
which,  rose  a  second  slope,  similar  to  the  one  they 
had  just  ascended.  Down  into  this  profound  ravine 
they  made  their  way  by  a  rugged  path,  or  rather 
fissure  of  the  rocks,  and  then  labored  up  the  second 
slope.  They  gained  the  summit  only  to  find  them- 
selves on  another  ravine,  and  now  perceived  that  this 
vast  mountain  which  had  presented  such  a  sloping 
and  even  side  to  the  distant  beholder  on  the  plain, 
was  shagged  by  frightful  precipices,  and  seamed 
with  longitudinal  chasms,  deep  and  dangerous. 

In  one  of  these  wild  dells  they  passed  the  night, 
and  slept  soundly  and  sweetly  after  their  fatigues. 
Two  days  more  of  arduous  climbing  and  scrambling 
only  served  to  admit  them  into  the  heart  of  this 
mountainous  and  awful  solitude :  where  difficulties 
increased  as  they  proceeded.  Sometimes  they  scram- 
bled from  rock  to  rock,  up  the  bed  of  some  mountain 
stream,  dashing  its  bright  way  down  to  the  plains ; 
sometiijies  they  availed  themselves  of  the  paths 
made  by  the  deer  and  the  mountain  sheep,  which, 
however,  often  took  them  to  the  brink  of  fearful 
precipices,  or  led  to  rugged  defiles,  impassable  for 
their  horses.  At  one  place,  they  were  obliged  to 
slide  their  horses  down  the  face  of  a  rock,  in  which 
attempt  some  of  the  poor  animals  lost  their  footing, 
rolled  to  the  bottom,  and  came  near  being  dashed  to 
pieces.  '     *■»    <     " 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day,  the  travellers 
attained  one  of  the  elevated  valleys  locked  up  in  this 
singular  bed  of  mountains.  Here  were  two  bright 
and  beautiful  little  lakes,  set  like  mirrors  in  the  midst 


^ 


in.nni'flp    .  /^ 


^P- 


-5**v 


4. 


■"T' 


*->^ 

^^1^ 


W 


ri?^ 


4*' 


MOUNTAIN   LAKES. 


41 


243 


of  stem  and  rocky  heights,  and  surrounded  by  grassy 
meadows,  inexpressibly  refreshing  to  the  eye.  These 
probably  were  among  the  sources  of  those  mighty 
«treams  that  take  their  rise  among  these  mountains, 
and  wander  hundreds  of  miles  through  the  plains. 
"  In  the  green  pastures  bordering  upon  these  lakes, 
the  travellers  hailed  to  repose,  and  to  give  their 
weary  horses  time  to  crop  the  sweet  and  tender 
herbage.  They  had  now  ascended  to  a  great  height 
above  the  level  of  the  plains,  yet  they  beheld  huge 
crags  of  granite  piled  one  upon  another,  and  beetling 
like  battlements  far  above  them.  While  two  of  the 
men  remained  in  the  camp  with  the  horses.  Captain 
Bonneville,  accompanied  by  the  other  men,  set  out 
to  climb  a  neighboring  height,  hoping  to  gain  a  com- 
manding prospect,  and  discern  some  practicable  route 
through  this  stupendous  labyrinth.  After  much  toil, 
he  reached  the  summit  of  a  lofty  cliff,  but  it  was 
only  to  behold  gigantic  peaks  rising  all  around,  and 
towering  far  into  the  snowy  regions  of  the  atmo- 
sphere. Selecting  one  which  appeared  to  be  the 
highest,  he  crossed  a  narrow  intervening  valley,  and 
began  to  scale  it.  He  soon  found  that  he  had  un- 
dertaken a  tremendous  task ;  but  the  pride  of  man  is 
never  moj-e  obstinate  than  when  climbing  mountains. 
The  ascent  was  so  steep  and  rugged  that  he  and  his 
companions  were  frequently  obliged  to  clamber  on 
hands  and  knees,  with  their  guns  slung  upon  their 
backs.  Frequently  exhausted  with  fatigue,  and  drip- 
ping with  perspiration,  they  threw  themselves  upon 
the  snow,  and  took  handfulls  of  it  to  allay  their 
parching  thirst.     At  one  place,  they  even  stripped 


■;s»-  ,v    •-'-- 

- 

■■^■^m^ 

'■f-M 

-Jv  '-.^ 

■■%*^m* 

'm 

t     "-.- 

* 

-  rM 

Mi 

, 

'       ■«. 

— >«=:::v 

.  ;^#«*., 

z   f 


%i:. 


\\ 


#-" 


I 


I'  I 


.m, 


I  -• 


<>^- 


'<». 


i.^ 


244 


/■^.^-^'.  air. 


^.-  •* 


THE   CREST   OF   THE    WORLD. 


off  their  coats  and  hung  them  upon  the  bushes,  and 
thus  lightly  clad,  proceeded  to  scramble  over  these 
eternal  ^nows.  As  they  ascended  still  higher,  there 
were  cool  breezes  that  refreshed  and  braced  them^ 
and  springing  with  new  ardor  to  their  task,  they  at 
length  attained  the  summit.      . .  •*'f^;  ^^^ 

Here  a  scene  burst  upon  thi  view  of  Captain 
Bonneville,  that  for  a  time  astonished  and  over- 
whelmed him  with  its  immensity.  He  stood,  in 
fact,  upon  that  dividing  ridge  which  Indians  regard 
as  the  crest  of  the  world ;  and  on  each  side  of  which, 
the  landscape  may  be  said  to  decline  to  the  two 
cardinal  oceans  of  the  globe.  Whichever  way  he 
turned  his  eye,  it  was  confounded  by  the  vastness 
and  variety  of  objects.  Beneath  him,  the  Rocky 
mountains  seemed  to  open  all  their  secret  recesses : 
deep  solemn  valleys ;  treasured  lakes ;  dreary  passes ; 
rugged  defiles,  and  foaming  torrents ;  while  beyond 
their  savage  precincts,  the  eye  was  lost  in  an  almost 
immeasurable  landscape ;  stretching  on-  every  side 
into  dim  and  hazy  distance,  like  the  expanse  of  a 
summer's  sea.  Whichever  way  he  looked,  he  be- 
held vast  plains  glimmering  with  reflected  sunshine ; 
mighty  streams  wandering  on  their  shining  course 
toward  either  ocean,  and  snowy  mountains,  chain 
beyond  chain,  and  peak  beyond  peak,  till  they  melted 
like  clouds  into  the  horizon.  For  a  time,  the  Indian 
fable  seemed  realized :  he  had  attained  that  height 
from  which  the  Blackfoot  warrior,  after  death,  first 
catches  a  view  of  the  land  of  souls,  and  beholds  the 
happy  hunting  grounds  spread  out  below  him,  bright- 
ening with  the  abodes  of  the  free  and  generous 


* 


■,s 


M 


^■¥7- 


i<0,.-    * 


4 


i^ 


•f, 


'i 


* 


■f^!     '« 


hes,  and 
er  these 
er,  there 
d  themi 
f  they  at 


•y^f' 


Captain 
id  over- 
itood,  in 
3  regard 
i  which, 
the  two 
way  he 
vastness 
;  Rocky 
ecesses : 
ir  passes; 
;  beyond 
n  almost 
lery  side 
use  of  a 
I,  he  be- 
unshine ; 
g  course 
IS,  chain 
y  melted 
le  Indian 
it  height 
sath,  first 
iolds  the 
a,  bright- 
generous 


*^ 


»  %m>- 


# 


■h  ^ 


r. 


<#"-^4 


m 


",  *•  sir  . 

A   PANORAMA. 


.»**■. 


245 


•H' 


spirits.    The  captain  stood  for  a  long  while  gazing 

upon  this  scene,  lost  in  a  crowd  of  vague  and  inde- 

finite  ideas  and  sensations.    A  long  drawn  inspiration    ' 

at  length  relieved  him  from  this  enthralment  of  the 

.  ft* 

mind,  andhej  began  to  analyze  the  parts  of  this  vast 

panorama.     A  simple  enumeration  of  a  few  of  its 
features,  may  give  some  idea  of  its  collective  grand-  * 
eur  and  magnificence. 

The  peak  on  which  the  captain  had  taken  his 
stand,  commanded  the  whole  Wind  river  chain; 
which,  in  fact,  may  rather  be  considered  one  immense 
mountain,  broken  into  snowy  peaks  and  lateral  spurs, 
and  seamed  with  narrow  valleys.     Some  of  these 
valleys   glittered   with  silver   lakes   and    gushing 
streams ;  the  fountain  heads,  as  it  were,  of  the  mighty 
tributaries  to  the  Atlantic  and  the  Pacific  oceans. 
Beyond  the  snowy  peaks,  to  the  south,  and  far,  far 
below  the  mountain  range,  the  gentle  river,  called  the 
Sweet  Water,  was  seen  pursuing  its  tranquil  way 
through  the  rugged  region  of  the  Black  hills.     In 
the  east,  the  head  waters  of  Wind  river  wandered 
tlurough  a  plain,  until,  mingling  in   one  powerful 
current,  they  forced  theij  way  through  the  range  of 
Horn  mountains,  and  were  lost  to  view.    To  the 
north,  were  caught  glimpses  of  the  upper  streams 
of   the  Yellowstone,  that  great  tributary  of   the 
Missouri.    In  another  direction  were  to  be  seen 
some  of  the  sources  of  the  Oregon  or  Columbia, 
flowing  to  the  northwest,  past  those  towering  land- 
marks the  Three  Tetons,  and  pouring  down  into  the 
great  lava  plain.     While  almost  at  the  captain's 
feet,  the  Green  river,  or  Colorado  of  the  west,  set 

21* 


-■^ 


^fet, 


^-•«t. 


'%■. 


'%' 


'%''.*i, 


\l 


<§>■  ^^' 


« 


''^^^l'^ 


246 


HEIGHT   OP   THE   ROCKY    MOUNTAINS. 


forth  on  its  far  wandering  pilgrimage  to  the  Gulf  of 
California ;  at  first  a  mere  mountain  torrent,  dashing 
northward  over  crag  and  precipice,  in  a  succession 
of  cascades,  and  tumbling  into  the  plain,  where, 
expanding  into  an  ample  river,  it  circled  away  to  the 
south,  and  after  alternately  shining  out  and  disap- 
pearing in  the  mazes  of  the  vast  landscape,  was 
finally  lost  in  a  horizon  of  mountains.  The  day 
was  calm  and  cloudless,  and  the  atmosphere  so  pure 
that  objects  were  discernable  at  an  astonishing 
distance.  The  whole  of  this  immense  area  was 
enclosed  by  an  outer  range  of  shadowy  peaks,  some 
of  them  faintly  marked  on  the  horizon,  which  seemed 
to  wall  it  in  from  the  rest  of  the  earth. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  Captain  Bonneville  had 
no  instruments  with  him  with  which  to  ascertain  the 
altitude  of  this  peak  He  gives  it  as  his  opinion, 
that  it  is  the  loftiest  point  of  the  North  American 
continent ;  but  of  this  we  have  no  satisfactory  proof. 
It  is  certain  that  the  Rocky  mountains  are  of  an 
altitude  vastly  superior  to  what  was  formerly  sup- 
posed. We  rather  incline  to  the  opinion  that  the 
highest  peak  is  further  to  the  northward,  and  is  the 
same  measured  by  Mr.  Thompson,  surveyor  to  the 
Northwest  Company ;  who,  by  the  joint  means  of 
the  barometer  and  trigonometric  measurement,  as- 
certained it  to  be  twenty-five  thousand  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea ;  an  elevation  only  inferior  to  that 
of  the  Himalayas.*  ^r  ^  „v  ■,/-'q^  ^^ 

For  a  long  time.  Captain  Bonneville  remained 

*  See  the  letter  of  Professor  Renwick,  in  the  Appendix  to  Astoria. 


^ . «  :   * I.:.!.: 


\m^ 


^y-  '  \ 


iif-.     . 


i- .       ■■»  ' 


"  jrf 


■^ 


•A* 


m. 


^.i,,^  * 


^t;. 


Is. 

Gulf  of 

clashing 

ccession 

,  where, 

ly  to  the 

i  disap- 

pe,  was 

'he  day 

so  pure 

onishing 

rea  was 

IS,  some 

seemed 

ille  had 
rtain  the 
opinion, 
merican 
T  proof. 
3  of  an 
rly  sup- 
that  the 
d  is  the 
r  to  the 
eans  of 
lent,  as- 
!t  above 
r  to  that 

mained 
)  Astoria. 


.-* 


*^' 


^ 


.-Iff .» 


■  ,•*••  ..'■ 


#' 


^    * 


4rf 


♦-  *• 


•» 


>*  / 


'    247 


LES    DIONES    DE    PITIE. 


gazing  around  him  with  wonder  and  enthusiasm ;  at 
length  the  chill  and  wintry  winds,  whirling  about  the 
snow-clad  height,  admonished  him  to  descend.  He 
soon  regained  the  spot  where  he  and  his  companions 
had  thrown  off  their  coats,  which  were  now  gladly 
resumed,  and,  retAcing  their  course  down  the  peak, 
they  safely  rejoined  their  companions  on  the  border 
of  the  lake. 

Notwithstanding  the  savage,  and  almost  inacces- 
sible nature  of  these  mountains,  they  have  their 
inhabitants.  As  one  of  the  party  was  out  hunting, 
he  came  upon  the  solitary  track  of  a  man,  in  a  lonely 
valley.  Following  it  up,  he  reached  the  brow  of  a 
cliff,  from  whence  he  beheld  three  savages  running 
across  the  valley  below  him.  He  fired  his  gun  to 
call  their  attention,  hoping  to  induce  them  to  turn 
back.  They  only  fled  the  faster,  and  disappeared 
among  the  rocks.  The  hunter  returned  and  reported 
what  he  had  seen.  Captain  Bonneville  at  once 
concluded  that  these  belonged  to  a  kind  of  hermit 
race,  scanty  in  number,  that  inhabit  the  highest  and 
most  inaccessible  fastnesses.  They  speak  the 
Shoshonie  language,  and  probably  are  offsets  from 
that  tribe,  though  they  have  peculiarities  of  their 
own,  which  distinguish  them  from  all  other  Indians. 
They  are  miserably  poor ;  own  no  horses,  and  are 
destitute  of  every  convenience  to  be  derived  from  an 
intercourse  with  the  whites.  Their  weapons  are 
bows  and  stone-pointed  arrows,  with  which  they 
hunt  the  deer,  the  elk,  and  the  mountain  sheep. 
They  are  to  be  found  scattered  about  the  countries 
of  the  Shoshonie,  Flathead,  Crow,  and  Blackfeet 


-« 


ik^ 


-  !i 


M 


'* 


«t 


V     ^ 


vil 


li 


t 


•*V      ■  > 


■*•* 


,    '^ 


I 


248 


% 


WILD   MEN    OP   THE   MOUNTAINS. 


tribes;  but  their  residences  are  always  in  lonely 
places,  and  the  clefts  of  the  rocks. 

Their  footsteps  are  often  seen  by  the  trappers  in 
the  high  and  sohtary  valleys  among  the  mountains, 
and  the  smokes  of  their  fires  descried  among  the 
precipices,  but  they  themselves  aft  rarely  met  with, 
and  still  more  rarely  brought  to  a  parley,  so  great  is 
their  shyness,  and  their  dread  of  strangers. 

As  their  poverty  offers  no  temptation  to  the 
marauder,  and  as  they  are  inoffensive  in  their  habits, 
they  are  never  the  objects  of  warfare :  should  one 
of  them,  however,  fall  into  the  hands  of  a  war  party, 
he  is  sure  to  bo  made  a  sacrifice,  for  the  sake  of  that 
savage  trophy, ,.  scalp,  and  that  barbarous  ceremony, 
a  scalp  dance.  These  forlorn  beings,  forming  a 
mere  link  between  human  nature  and  the  brute,  have 
been  looked  down  upon  with  pity  and  contempt  by 
the  Creole  trappers,  who  have  given  them  the  appel- 
lation of  "  les  dignes  de  pitie,"  or  "  the  objects  of 
pity."  They  appear  more  worthy  to  be  called,  the 
wild  men  of  the  mountains. 


,* 


END   OP   VOLUME    ONE. 


■«»i 


'i^'^'7^  ' 


iiKm-uf<    .js* 


■■■  ?i^ 


^:^'     ^'  ^' 


.4  tf'  -■ 


'%^ .;  ..?^. . 


.^M     -    J<r^- 


:t 


■".fc.  _ 


-^' 


i^:   -n^: 


n  lonely 


ppers  in 
mntains, 
long  the 
let  with, 
great  is 


'^ 


^. 


to  the 
ir  habits, 
)uld  one 
ar  party, 
e  of  that 
iiemony, 
•rming  a 
Lite,  have 
empt  by 
le  appel- 
)jects  of 
illed,  the 


J^A-^ 


'•h 


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')i| 


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improving  their  physical  powers.  This  is  attempted  by  pointing  oijt  the  duties 
which  the  parent  or  the  guardian  owes  for  this  purpose,  to  this  interesting, 
but  helpless  class  of  beings,  and  the  mnnner  by  which  their  duties  shall  be  ful- 
filled. And  2d,  to  lender  available  a  long  expeiience  to  these  objects  of  our 
afiection  when  they  become  diseased.  In  att;jniptiiiir  this,  the  author  has 
avoided  as  much  a:j  possible,  "  technicality :"  and  has  given,  if  he  does  not 
flatter  himself  too  nnich,  to  each  diseiise  of  which  he  treats,  its  appropriate 
and  designating  characters,  with  a  tldelity  tliiit  will  prevent  a2iy  two  being 
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Part  I. — A  Tour  on  tlie  Prairies.  Part  II. — Abbotsford  and  New- 
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'here  and  Lo- 
Ilothing,  Bath- 
rsuits,  &c.  on 

.       By  RoBLEY 

Therapeutics 
sity  of  Mary< 


hor,  is  intended 
I  important  and 
snable  the  gene- 
is  p  lysica!  and 
ing  such  means 


1  vol.  12mo. 
or  the  pocket, 


comprising  u 
to  the  Enter- 
on.  Sir  James 
he  Crown,  by 
if'e.  Writings, 
8vo. 

ts. 

In  1  vol.  8vo. 

e  charge  of  chil- 
of  securing  and 
?  out  the  dutieii 
his  interesting, 
;ies  shall  be  fui- 
H  objects  of  our 
tli(!  iititlior  has 
,  if  he  does  not 
its  appropriate 
any  two  being 
,  cither  his  own 


ER    CoLUMDUS 

IV  edition,  re- 
vo. 

To  he  pub- 

)rd  and  New- 
)f  Spain. 

nd  botanical 
By  delineated 
accompanied 
^antly  bound 


Slight  Reminiscences  of  the  Rhine,  Switzerland,  and  a  Corner 
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for 


r*. — 


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enlarged. 

Adventures  of  a  Gentleman  in  Search  of  a  Horse,  with  Cuts. 
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now  added  The  Calendar  of  Flowers.  Revised  by  the  editor  of 
Forget-me-Not.    Third  edition. 


6 


Companion  to  the  Language  of  Flowers. 

The  Book  of  Flowers,  or  Gkms  of  Flowers  and  Poetry,  being  an 
Alphabetical  arrangement  of  Flowers,  with  appropriate  Poetical 
illustrations,  cnibellished  with  24  Coloured  Plates,  by  a  Lady:  to 
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with  gilt  edges. 

Not  a  trco, 
A  plant,  a  leaf,  a  hloissnin,  but  contains  a  folio  volume. 
Vu  ail.'  till!  still's  of  earth— and  dear  to  me 
Is  each  small  twinkling  firm  that  wanders  free, 
'Mid  (ilade  or  woodland,  or  by  miirinring  stream. 
For  ye  to  me  art;  mori^  than  sweet  or  fair, 
1  love  ye  for  the  mcm'ries  that  ye  hear; 
Or  bygone  hours,  whose  bliss  was  but  a  dream. 

Louisa  Anne  Twamlev. 

Companion  to  De  Lamartine. 

Narrative  of  the  Residence  op  Fatalla  Sayeghir  among  the 
Wandering  Arabs  of  the  Great  Desert,  collected  and  translated 
by  the  care  of  M.  De  Lamartine.     In  1  vol.  12ino. 

Bridgewater  Treatises,  on  the  Power,  Wisdom,  and  Goodness  of 
God,  as  irrtnifc'stcd  iu  the  Creation. 
'I'lie  toiirv;::~  •,Vf:r:;r  c-.rnpose  the  aoriest — 

1.  The  Adaptation  of  External  Nature  to  the  Moral  and  Intellectual 
C'onstitutioii  of  Man.  By  the  Rev.  Thomas  Chalmers,  D.  D.,  Pro- 
fessor of  Divinity  in  the  University  of  Edinburgh, 

XL  The  Adaptation  of  External  Nature  to  the  Physical  Condition 
of  Man.  By  John  Kidd,  M.  D.,  F.  R.  S.,  Regius  Professor  of 
Medicine  in  the  University  of  Oxford. 

III.  Astronomy  and  General  Physics,  considered  with  reference  to 
Natural  Tlieology.  By  the  Rev.  William  Whewell,  M.  A., 
F.  R.  S.,  Fellow  of  Trinity  College,  Cambridge. 

IV.  The  Hand  ;  its  Mechanism  and  Vital  Endowments  as  evincing 
design.     By  Sir  Chaples  Bell,  K.  II.,  F.  R.  S. 

V.  Animal  and  Vegetable  Physiology.  By  Peter  Mark  Roget, 
M.  D.,  Fellow  of  and  Secretary  to  the  Royal  Society. 

VI.  Geology  and  Mineralogy.'  By  the  Rev.  William  Buckland, 
D.  D.,  F.  R.S.,  Canon  of  Ciirist  Church,  and  Professor  of  Geology 
in  the  University  of  Oxford. 

VII.  The  History,  Habits,  and  Instincts  of  Animals.  By  the  Rev- 
William  Kirby,  M.  A.,  F.  R.  S. 

VIII.  Chemistry,  Meteorology,  and  the  Function  of  Digestion.  By 
William  Prout,  M.  D.,  F.'R.  S. 


El 


Its 


Ast 
I 


An 


cor 
per 

ING 

r 

lea 
Do 
ma 
it  \ 

I 

by 

res 


CTRY,  being  an 
)riate  Poetical 
by  a  Lady  :  to 
ous  parts  of  a 
Hscd  morocco, 


imc. 


1NE  TVVAMLEY. 


IR    AMONG    TilE 

and  translated 


d  Goodness  of 

nd  riitcllcctual 
us,  D.  D.,  Pro- 

ical  Condition 
s  Professor  of 

li  reference  to 
SWELL,    M.  A., 

its  as  evincing 

Mark  Roget, 

\m  buckland, 
3or  of  Geology 

By  the  Rev- 

)igestion.    By 


PUBLISHtNO,  BY  SUBSCRIPTION, 


AN 


ENCYCLOPAEDIA  OF  GEOGRAP^HY: 

COMPRISING  A 

COMPLETE  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  EARTH, 

PHYSICAL,  STATISTICAL,  COMMERCIAL,  AND  POLITICAL  J 
EXHIBITING 

Its  Relation  to  the  Heavenly  Bodies — its  physical  Structure — th« 
Natural  History  of  eacli  Country ;  and  the  Industry,  Commerct', 
Political  Institutions,  and  Civil  and  Social  state  of  all  Nations. 

BY  HUGH  MURRAY,  F.  R.  S.  E. 

ASSISTED  IN 

Astronomy,  &c.  by  Prof  Wallace,  Geology,  &o.  by  Prof.  Jameson, 
Botany,  &c.  by  Prof.  Hooker,  Zoolog-y,  SLc.  by  W.  Svvainson,  Esq. 

ILLUSTRATED  BY  EIGHTY-TWO  MAPS, 

And  about  Eleven  Hunclrecl  otiier  Engravings  on  Wood« 

Representing  the  most  remarkable  objects  of  Nature  and  Art 
in  every  region  of  the  Globe. 

lOCJKTIIER  WITH 

A  NEW  MAJf  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 
BY  THOMAS  G.  BRADFORD. 


TERMS. 

The  work  will  form  Three  large  Super  Royal  Octavo  Volumes, 
containing  in  alleigliteen  hundred  pages, or  about  six  hundred  pages 
per  volume,  and  illustrated  by  over  eleven  hundred  wood  engrav- 
ings AND  MAPS. 

To  subscribers  it  will  be  delivered  well  and  handsomely  bound  in 
leather  at  Three  Dollars  and  Fifty  Cents  per  volume ;  or  for  Four 
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marbled  edges  and  raised  bands;  or  for  Three  Dollars  per  volume 
it  will  be  done  u;i  in  embossed  clotli. 

The  wiiole  work  is  now  so  far  advanced  that  no  delay  need  be 
apprehended  in  it    early  delivery. 

The  type  is  new  and  distinct — the  illustrations  have  been  engraved 
by  the  best  artists — the  paper  will  be  of  tine  quality,  and  in  every 
respect  it  will  be  iuuulsomely  executed. 


8 

EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  ENGLISH  PREFACE. 

Deeply  impressc^d  with  a  sense  of  the  great  extent  and  difficult 
execution  of  a  complete  Geographical  work,  the  Editor,  during  nearly 
ten  years  in  which  he  has  been  engaged  upon  it,  has  used  the  utmost 
exertion  to  procure  from  every  quarter  information  and  aid.  He  has 
studiously  collected  the  most  recent,  authentic,  and  accurate  accounts 
of  the  extent,  natural  features,  population,  productions,  industry,  po- 
litical constitution,  literature,  religion,  and  social  state  of  the  various 
regions  of  the  globe,  with  the  leading  details  as  to  their  districts  and 
cities.  The  sc  onces  connected  with  the  natural  history  of  the  earth 
have,  however,  attained  to  such  an  extent  and  importance,  that  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  them  can  only  be  possessed  by  individual* 
who  have  especially  devoted  themselves  to  one  particular  branch. 
The  Editor,  therefore,  considered  it  epsenlial  to  procure  the  co-ope- 
ration of  writers  who  had  risen  to  acknowledged  eminence  in  the 
departments  of  Geology  and  Mineralogy,  Zoology,  and  Botany.  He 
considered  tliat  lie  had  fully  succeeded,  when  Professor  Jameson 
undertook  to  delineate  the  geological  structure  of  the  globe,  and  the 
distribution  of  minerals  over  its  surface ;  Mr.  Swainson  to  explain 
the  distribution  of  animals,  and  the  most  remarkable  of  those  found 
in  each  particular  region  ;  and  Dr.  Hooker  to  perform  the  same  task 
in  regard  to  the  vegetable  kingdom.  Professor  Wallace  has  illus- 
trated the  relations  of  the  earth  as  a  planet,  the  trigonometrical  sur- 
veys, the  construction  of  maps,  and  other  subjects  connected  with 
njathcmatieal  science.  These  tasks  have  been  executed  in  a  manner 
which,  it  is  hoped,  will  fully  support  the  high  reputation  of  their  re- 
spective authors.  Various  parts  relating  to  remote  countries  have 
been  revised  by  gentlemen  recently  returned  from  them.  It  is  only 
justice  to  add,  that  neither  exertion  nor  "xpense  has  been  spared  by 
the  Publisliers,  to  enable  the  Editor  to  render  the  work  as  perfect  as 
possible. 


AMEPJCAN  EDITION. 

The  American  edition  of  the  ENCvci,or^DiA  of  Geographt  has 
been  carefully  re  ised  and  corrected  throughout,  and  brought  down 
to  the  period  of  its  publication  by  such  modifications  of  the  original 
text  us  llie  nature  of  tlie  clianges  to  be  made  seemed  to  require 
Thus  new  and  more  recent  statements  of  the  commercial,  financial, 
political,  and  other  relations  of  countries  have  been  often  substituted 
for  those  given  in  the  English  edition  of  the  work,  and  the  results 
of  late  discoveries  have  been  interwoven  with  the  original  matter,  or 
have  served  to  rectify  some  antiquated  error,  the  gradual  removing 
of  whicli  from  our  manuals  forms  at  present  an  important  part  of 
the  task  of  the  geographical  compiler.  The  portion  of  the  work  re- 
lating  to  the  United  States  has  been  written  anew,  and  fills  two 
hundred  pages  ;  that  of  the  English  edition  comprising  only  thirty, 
three  pages  and  being  extremely  meagre.  A  nc"'  and  larger  map 
of  this  country  has  also  been  given,  and  woodcuts  have  been  added 
to  the  chapter  devoted  to  its  description. 


'ACE. 

and  difficult 
hiring  nearly 
3d  the  utmost 
aid.  He  has 
irate  accounts 
industry,  po- 
of the  various 

districts  and 
y  of  the  earth 
lance,  that  a 
ly  individuals 
cular  branch, 
re  tlie  co-ope- 
inence  in  the 
Botany.  He 
ssor  Jameson 
ilobe,  and  the 
on  to  explain 
jf  those  found 
the  same  task 
ace  has  illus- 
ometrical  sur- 
onnccted  with 
i  in  a  manner 
on  of  their  re- 
iountrics  have 
m.  It  is  only 
een  spared  by 
i  as  perfect  as 


EOGRAPHY  has 
wrought  down 
)f  the  original 
cd  to  require 
cial,  financial, 
en  substituted 
nd  the  results 
nal  matter,  or 
dual  removing 
ortant  part  of 
f  the  work  re- 
and  fills  two 
ig  only  thirty- 
id  larger  map 
vc  been  added 


NEW  NOVELS,  &c. 


1.ATELY  FUBLISIIED 


BY  CAREY,  LEA  AND  BLANCHARD. 


DR.  BIRD'S  NOVELS. 

The  Hawks  of  Hawk  Hollow.    A  Tradition  of  Pennsylvania.   By 
the  author  of  "  Calavar,"  and  "  Tlic  Infidel."     In  2  vols.  12mo. 

A  second  edition  of 
Calavar,  or  1  iitj  Knight  of  the  CoNauEST.  A  Romance  of  Mexico. 
2  vols.  12mo.     By  the  author  of  "  The  Infidel." 

The  Infidel,  or  The  Fall  of  Mexico.    A  Romance.     In  2  vols. 
12mo.     By  the  author  of  "  Calavar."     Second  edition. 

Pencil  Sketches,  or  Outlines  of  Character  and  Manners.    By 
Miss  Lei«lic.     In  2  vols.  l2mo. 

Clinton  Bradsiiaw,  or  The  Adventures  op  a  Lawyer.     In  2  vols. 

Tales  and  Sketches.     By  the  autlior  of  "  Linwoods,"  &.c.     1  vol. 

The  Insurgents.     A  new  American  and  Historical  Novel.     2  vols. 

Chances  awd  Changes  ;  a  Domestic  Story,  m  2  vols.  12mo. 

AnneCrev;  a  Novel.     2  vols.  12mo. 

Will  Watch.     By  the  author  of  "Cavendish,"  "Port  Admiral," 
&c.  in  3  vols.  12mo. 

The  Monikins.     By  the  author  of  "The  Spy."     In  2  vols.  12mo. 

Mv  Cousin  Nicholas,  or  The  Bulwinkles  of  Underdown  Hall. 

The  Mardens  and  the  Daventrys.   Talcs  by  Miss  Pardee.   12mo. 

The  Mayor  of  Wind  Gap,  and  Canvassing  ;   Tales.     By  Banim, 
author  of  the  O'Hara  Family,  &c.     2  vols.  l2mo. 

Delford  Regis,  or  Sketches  of  a  Country  Town.    By  Miss  Mit- 
ford.     2  vols.  12mo. 

Vatiiek,  an  Oriontr.!  Tale.     By  Mr,  Bcckford,  author  of  "Journey 
to  Alcobaco,"  &c.     1  vol.  ISino, 

Godolphin.     a  Novel.    In  2  vols.     Second  Edition. 


-'-^ 


RooKwooD,  a  Romance.    By  W.  H.  Ainsworth.    12mo. 

The  Comic  Sketch-Book.    By  John  Poole,  author  of  Paul  Pry,  &o. 

2  vols.  12ino. 
Horse  Shoe  Rodinson,  a  Tale  of  the  Tory  Ascendency.     By  the 

a,uthor  of  "  Swallow  Barn."     Fourth  edition.    2  vols.  12mo. 

Chairolas  ;  by  the  autlior  of  "  Pelham ;"  and  Other  Tales,  by  the 
author  of  "  Vivian  Grey,"  and  others.     1  vol.  12mo. 

Gilbert  Gurnev.    By  the  author  of  "  Sayings  and  Doings."    In  2 
vols.  12r"o. 

The  Early  Called,  The  Stoic,  and  the  Lansbys  of  Lansby  Hall. 

1  vol. 

Peter  Snook,  and  Other  Strange  Tales.     By  the  author  of  "  The 
Invisible  Gentleman,"  &c.    2  vols.  12mo. 

MAftGARET  Ravenscroft,  OR  Second  Love.    By  Mr.  St.  John.    In  2 

vols.  12mo. 
Agnes  Ue  Mansfeldt.    By  the  author  of  "  Highways  and  Byways." 

2  vols.  12mo. 

Tales  op  Our  Neighbouuhood.    By  the  author  of  "The  CoUe. 
gians."     2  vols.  12nio. 

Harry  Calverly.     By  the  author  of  "Cecil  Hyde."     2  vols.  12mo. 

Uen  Brace,  the  last  of  Nelson's  Agamemnons.    By  Captain  Cha- 

micr.     2  vols.  12mo. 
Tun  EiVPUEss.     By  the  author  of  "The  Albanians,"  &c. 
The  Warlock.     A  Tale  of  the  Sea.     By  The  Old  Sailor. 
VVatkins  Tottle,  and  other  Sketches,  by  Boz.     2  vols. 
The  Farmer's  Daughter,  &c.    By  the  author  of  "The  Warlock." 
The  Dkvoted.     By  Lady  Charlotte  Bury.     2  vols.  12mo. 
The  Magician,  a  Novel,  by  Leitch  Ritchie.     2  vols.  12ino. 

The  Priors  of  Prague.     By  the  author  of  "Cavendish,"    "Will 
Watch,"  &,c.     (Nearly  ready.) 

The  Bar  Sinister,  or  Memoirs  of  an  Illegitimate,  (Nearly  ready.) 

Mrs.  Aiuivtage,  or  Female  Domination.     By  Mrs.  Gore.    (Nearly 
ready.) 

The  Pick.Wick  Club,  by  Boz. 

Rattlix,  Tin;  Reefer,  cditcil  by  Captain  Marryatt.     2  vols.  12nio. 

Cami'erdown,  or  N':ws  Fr^cM  Our  Neighbourhood.     By  a  Lady.    1 

vol.  12tIK>. 

The  Tuggs  at  Ra m^gate.    By  Boz,  with  Other  Tales,  in  1  vol,  12mo. 

Violet  Woodvillr,  ^r  the  Opera  Dancer.    2  vols.  12mo. 

East  and  West.   A  Novel.   By  the  Author  of  "Clinton  Bradshaw," 
2  vols.  12nio. 


10. 

Paul  Pry,  &c. 

incy.  By  the 
Is.  13mo. 

Talis,  by  the 
►oings."  In  S 
Lansby  Hall. 
ithorof  "The 

;t.  John,    lu  2 

and  Byways." 

■   "The  CoHe. 

2  vols.  12mo. 
Y  Captain  Cha- 

tfcc. 

iilor. 

Is. 

^he  Warlock." 

imo. 

l2mo. 

ndish,"   "Will 

(Nearly  ready.) 
Gore.    (Nearly 

2  vols.  12mo. 
By  a  Lady,    1 

,  in  1  vol.  12mo 

Imo. 

ton  Bradshaw." 


CAREY,  LEA  AND  BLANCHARD 

Have  lately  published  nevr  editions  of  the  following  works 
by  Mr.  Cooper  : 

THE  SPY :  a  Tale  of  the  Neutral  Ground. 

THE  PIONEERS,  or  the  Sources  of  the  Susquehanna :  a  descrip- 
tive  Talc. 

THE  PILOT  :  a  Tale  of  the  Sea. 

LIONEL  LINCOLN;  or  the  Leaguer  of  Boston. 

THE  LAST  OF  THE  MOHICANS :  a  Narrative  of  1757. 

THE  J'RAIRIE:  a  Tale. 

THE  RED  ROVER :  a  Tale. 

THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH :  a  Tale. 

THE  WATER  WITCH :  or  the  Skimmer  of  the  Seas. 

THE  BRAVO  :  a  Talc. 

NOTIONS  OF  THE  AMERICANS:  Picked  up  by  a  Travel- 
ling Bachelor. 

THE  HF:IDENMAUER;  or  the  Benedictines.     A  Legend  of 
the  Rhine. 

THE  IIEADSM.AN  ;  or  the  Abbayc  des  Vigncrons  :  a  Tale. 

THE  MONIKINS  :  Edited  by  the  Autlior  of  "The  Spy." 

PRECAUTION  :  a  Novel,  revised  and  corrected. 


CAREY,  LEA  AND  BLANCHARD 

HAVE  LATELY  PUBLISHED 

SKETCHES  OF  SWITZERLAND.    By  J.  Fennimore  Cooper, 

Author  of  "  The  Spy,"  &c.  &c.  in  2  vols.  12mo. 
A  RESIDENCE  IN  FRANCE,  with  an  Excursion  up  the  Rhine, 

and  a  Second  Visit  to  Switzerland.     By  tlie  same  Author.    In 

2  voU  li?mo, 

"  As  we  take  up  tlic  pen  to  note  down  our  impressions  of  these 
volumcH,  we  ti  el  as  though  \v(;  hud  just  returned  from  an  excursion 
in  Switzerland,  with  a  companion  full  to  overflowing  with  an  in- 
tense love  of  nature,  and  an  exfinisile  taste  for  tiie  picturesque. 
We  cannot  pive  our  thiinks  and  praise  a  more  cordial  empliasis — 
hut  if  we  could,  we  would  ;  for  so  much  pleasure  arc  we  indehtcd 
to  Mr.  Cooper.  AOcr  tlie  dull  flats  and  dreary  wastes  of  reading, 
of  which  there  is  abtnidance  in  all  seasons,  how  "reiresliiiig"  (the 
word  is  unavoidiihle)  to  ascend  with  such  a  guide  into  tiu;  inoun- 
tainous  regions  of  literature.  To  those  who  are  at  all  acfiuainted 
with  the  bold  and  vivid  style  of  Mr.  Cooper's  descri[>tions  of  natural 
marvels  and  magnifioence — and  to  wlioin  arc  his  original  powers 
of  imagery  and  expression  unknown  ? — we  need  only  say,  that 
these  powers  have  been  unsparingly  employed  in  the  present  vo- 
lumes. It  is  only  necessary  to  remind  the  re:ulcr  of  what  Mr. 
Cooper  can  do,  when  his  enlluu'insm  is  kindled,  to  bid  him  recollect 
that  the  scene  of  the  author's  excursions  is  Switzerland.  Upon 
such  a  subject  as  the  scenery  of  Switzerland,  how  could  Mr.  Cooper 
lail  to  write  with  infinite  freshness,  grace,  energy,  and  poetic  ar- 
dour. M;iny  of  the  letlerf!  more  over  (for  the  work  is  in  that  form) 
have  the  advantage  of  being  written  under  the  immediiite  feelings 
excited  by  a  first,  unfading  view  of  the  beauties  and  wonders  de- 
scribed. In  short,  this  is  just  the  work  for  every  body  to  read  and 
every  body  to  relish. 

Mr.  Cooper  has  altemptt  il,  in  tliese  letters,  little  beyond  descrip- 
tions of  cxicrnal  nature.  Swilzcrlahd,  as  he  remarks,  enjoying 
probably  tlie  sublimcst  as  well  as  the  most  diversified  beauties  of 
this  soil  that  exist  on  the  globe,  would  seem  to  have  a  claim  to  be 
treated  sui  generis.  Man,  says  the  writer,  appears  almost  to  sink 
to  a  secondary  rank  in  such  a  country.  We  iccl  all  the  force  of 
this  remark,  and  are  quite  content  that  Mr.  Cooper  should  have 
confined  the  range  of  his  genius  to  the  higher  ground.  He  has 
fr)und  room  and  reward  there,  much  as  it  had  been  described  be 
fore." — Court  Journal, 


IRE  Cooper, 

y  the  Rhine, 
Author.    In 


,*...'- 


ons  of  these 
in  excursion 
with  an  in- 
picturesque, 
cinphiisis — 
\vc  indebted 
i  of  rciiding, 
csiiing"  (tlie 
)  the  moun- 
1  acquainted 
IS  of  natural 
final  powers 
ily  say,  that 
;  present  vo- 
)f  what  Mr. 
lini  recollect 
land.     Upon 
J  Mr.  Cooper 
id  poetic  ar- 
in  that  form) 
liato  feelings 
wonders  de- 
{  to  read  and 

(7ond  descrip- 
•kn,  enjoying^ 
[]  beauties  ot 
a  claim  to  be 
linost  to  sink 
the  force  of 
sliould  have 
md.  He  has 
described  be 


h'.' 


'M 


ft      ■' 


